Same Difference
by Laina Inverse
Summary: At age 24, Kimiko Urameshi is a bookshop worker and part-time demon hunter, with more than a few successes under her belt. Lethal, but lonely, she follows a routine that gives her challenges, but little friendship. Meeting Shuichi Minamino, a demon who runs a flower shop, is only the start of some grand life changes... some of which she would happily have done without. Major AU.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Dawn was not her favorite time of day. Dawn was an evil hour, especially when she'd been up far too late the night before, keeping an eye on some demons who had just crossed into the human world.

But dawn was also a beautiful, peaceful hour in which she could do a small bit of exercise without being remarked on, and she never really had been able to pass that up. Getting out before most of the people in this town, before the cars clogged up the streets and the noise made the day less lovely, had been her master's idea.

It was a good one, like most of Master Genkai's ideas. It let her reach for unfamiliar energy before it posed a threat, and didn't get muddied with the other hundreds of humans that would be wandering around soon enough.

Kimiko Urameshi let the shade drop over her window, yawning as she pulled on her usual jogging clothes, and tied her long hair back into a tight braid. Lucky for her, she didn't have work until the afternoon hours, so she could take a nap after she finished her route. Maybe she could even decide if today was going to be the day she actually _did_ something about a certain shop on her route.

She stretched a little as she stepped out the door, patting the pockets of her windbreaker for her phone, keys, and headphones, then locked the door behind her and headed down the stairs to street level. There was a slight mist on the road this morning, which she rather liked, since it lent itself to an ethereal air.

She stretched a little more, taking in a deep breath of the crisp morning as she put in her earbuds and started the music, then set off along her route. It wasn't quite the same as when she went to her master's compound and stretched out her mind; here in the city, thoughts fell into patterns, but sometimes that wasn't such a bad thing. It gave her a chance to analyze what her next move could be.

It was funny to realize she'd been in the city for eight years now, and working at the same bookshop for all of that. But then, routine had been a comfort in her life, and she'd had to carve this one out with minimal help. Her working hours had enough flex to them to be enjoyable, and most of the time she liked her manager, her boss, and the coworkers that came and went. Botan especially was a fun person to be around, occasionally complaining about Koenma working them much too hard when he ordered new stock that they had to somehow fit into the store, and never protested when she asked for time off to go train with Master Genkai, or visit her family two towns over. Funnier still to realize that she regarded most of it as her territory, even though she'd run across other demon hunters every now and again.

Well, it was hard to forget the place where one made their first kill.

She pushed that thought away with a faint shudder; she hated having to kill. She would if forced, but her preferred method of dealing with demons was beat them senseless, and send them back. Or even just talking to them, because sometimes they were just freaked right on out. Those ones usually weren't in the human realm by choice, though.

She rounded the corner, absently noting a car that passed by, stirring up the mist into new patterns that curved lazily around the sidewalk. It was going to be a hot day, again, but that's what July was all about; heat and suffering. She was going to have to get a week soon, and go visit her master, just so she could walk down to a beach that would be empty and enjoy it on her own. Maybe drag her brother and his wife along too... Keiko and Yusuke were fun to be around, most of the time.

Another corner put her on the block she liked best, the one with the fuzzy energy. It was funny, this energy had shown up two years prior, and while it was demonic, something that probably should have put her on edge, there was something to utterly _benign_ about it that she never really bothered to pay it any attention. Well, all right _some_ attention, but the shop owner seemed no threat.

When it had first shown up, she'd done a little bit of snooping; she didn't know too much, but she knew just enough to keep her content. The shop was owned by a young man, roughly around her age or a little older, with long red hair, and eyes that were a startling shade of green. According to rumor, he wasn't seeing anyone, and she had often passed his shop to see it teeming with women. She had seen him too, of course; usually as she made her second lap of the block he'd be there, cleaning and tidying up in preparation for the day.

Not that they'd exchanged two words, but sometimes when she passed, he turned to catch her eye, and offered up a faint smile. Most of the time she nodded in reply, but every now and again she would smile back, either feeling bold, or shy. She could at least confirm the fact that he was _very_ cute.

This was definitely not the day to talk to him, however. Which was, admittedly, what she'd been saying regularly ever since she'd admitted that she might want to.

The mists were thicker as she rounded the third corner, and she slowed, feeling more than the usual run of energy. She reached into her pocket to turn off her music, and pulled out one of the earbuds, listening carefully. After a moment she abandoned her jog, her pretense of being normal, and jumped up to the top of a nearby three story building to get a better view.

She hadn't come by demon-hunting on her own. She had been directed towards it by a series of letters that had started not long after Yusuke had almost been hit by a car. The incident had shaken him enough that he curbed _some_ of his delinquent tendencies for a bit, and had left her feeling strangely vulnerable. He'd drawn much closer to Keiko, and his friendship with Kazuma Kuwabara had evolved from just punching the tar out of one another to mutually antagonistic encouragement. While they had all been willing to involve her, she had often felt that she was just a little off-set from them. Different, but in a way that didn't make much sense.

She mentally rolled her eyes at the memory as she moved from rooftop to rooftop, tacking the energy; the onset of depression thanks to a bizarre mix of hormones and the slow awakening of her ability to feel ghosts and energy had not really been the best thing in the world. But the letters certainly had. They had offered encouragement of a sort that she rarely got; the kind that based absolutely nothing about her on the actions—or lack thereof—of her brother.

True, she had never been able to write back because she had lacked a return address—and had been made to suffer through her brother teasing her mercilessly about a secret admirer—but whoever wrote her knew enough about her to write sincerely about both her strengths and her weaknesses. And after a few months of them, had directed her towards Master Genkai.

She stopped on a flat roof, then peered over the edge into a blind alley where a very confused demon appeared to have just taken a tumble among the garbage. He didn't seem to be causing trouble, just... a little stuck. She watched for a few moments until he righted himself, brushing off some of the grime, then whistled a little, making him jump, and stare wildly around before he looked up. She lifted a hand slightly, then jumped down, neatly missing the pile.

"Lost?" she asked amiably.

"Uh... Yes?" the demon ventured.

"Looking to settle, or get back?"

"Settle, definitely settle."

She stifled a grin, nodding. She'd heard enough about the demon realm to understand why some would prefer to get the hell out.

"Okay. You should blend in all right. Just stay out of dark alleys unless you're trawling for muggers or something."

He _did_ look normal enough. Maybe a shade too pink for a human, but most wouldn't notice it so long as he covered up enough. His hair was dark and rather shaggy, his eyes were a shade of gray-green that could be passed off as color contacts in a pinch, and he even had managed to acquire a nice shirt and slacks. The shoes were a bit scruffy, but on a whole, this was one of the better outfitted demons she'd met.

"Aren't you... going to attack me?"

"Nah," Kimiko shrugged lightly. "I don't see a need for it. I only attack demons who are attacking humans, or who want to fight me. You're just a little lost, which happens to everyone in a new city. You have an idea on where you're going?"

The demon blinked at her, then nodded.

"Okay then. Remember what I said about the alleys. See you!"

There was no point in attacking someone who wasn't going to cause trouble, though she knew there were plenty of hunters out there who did. They seemed to think that all demons were bad; Kimiko knew otherwise, and treated them like the intelligent beings that they were. As long as they didn't cause trouble, she saw no reason to go out of her way to hurt anyone.

She headed out of the alleyway, and checked the time on her phone; jumping roofs had taken her off her route, and of schedule... but it was getting too light to go back the way she'd come. With a sigh, she reinsterted the earbuds, and started the music again; one circuit wasn't going to kill her... and she wanted a nap anyways. She'd just have to miss out on seeing the demon florist this morning.

* * *

He had to admit that he was glad to see her quickly trotting past on her way to work as the noon rush hit. Her morning routine, as far as he could tell, was well-set, and even he had a part in it; it had been a bit disconcerting to only see her pass by the one time in the early morning hours.

Shuichi Minamino had little time to dwell on his relief, however; his customers demanded his attention with words and gestures, flirting openly or subtly as was their way. He easily deflected the flirting as was _his_ way, though he and his assistant were kept busy with bundling flowers, taking money and making change.

Some days it felt as though the shop was not truly empty until after closing... there was usually one person, if not more, browsing the flowers and shrubs he had on sale. It made him rather grateful that he could slip out for the afternoons once the part-time help arrived, and relax in the greenhouse that took up most of the lot the shop and apartment stood on. Humans were fascinating, but often times, prolonged contact made them very exhausting as well.

Not that he was inclined to go anywhere at the moment; he might not necessarily be putting his botany degree to good use, but he rather liked the quiet simplicity of owning a flower shop. Especially when he could, quite easily, grow the flowers overnight and have them ready to sell in the morning.

There was something about the air of this city that was comfortable too; oddly familiar but not entirely in a way he could pinpoint. He often picked up flickers of demon energy, but nothing that made its way to where he might have to deal with it. For which he was rather grateful; he liked having a human life, even if he hadn't come to it entirely willingly. And he preferred to avoid demon hunters as well; his energy was not human, and he knew it.

As the first of his afternoon workers walked in, he slipped out, and headed back to the greenhouse to work, allowing himself a few moments to think about the mystery that one woman was. Having never spoken directly to her—she hadn't set foot in the shop, though she'd looked in a few times—he had only theories, but those were based on his observations, and he had always been very good at those.

At best guess, she was a demon hunter of some sort; he could sense she had the energy to take on some of the lesser demons that wound their way to the human world, and her gait when she walked suggested much practice in some form of martial art, if not more than one. She also, every now and again when she passed in the morning, had that too-wary look of someone who was expecting to be jumped.

That said, she seemed like a pleasant person; if she bumped someone, she apologized, if someone smiled at her, she acknowledged it. He'd meant to beckon her into the shop more than once, but every time he'd been about to, something had come up, and he'd been needed to help, or she had turned away too soon, and he lost his chance for the day.

As he entered the greenhouse, and breathed in the comfortable scent of green, he wondered if that was always how it was going to be. He didn't mind it so much with other humans, but something about her made him... curious.

After a moment he just shook his head and picked up the hose; he had plants to tend to, and then food to fetch for supper. It was time to focus on those things, and leave what could be for later.

* * *

"Thank you for coming!" Kimiko said politely, closing the door behind the last customer of the night, and locking it with a sigh of relief. "Asshole..."

"He really was unpleasant," Yukina agreed as she lowered the nearby shutters. "I hope he doesn't come back."

"You and me both," Kimiko said, making a disgusted noise as she fetched the broom. "I hate it when people hit on us. We're paid to be polite, not put up with _that_ crap."

"Now, now," Botan said from behind the register. "At least he paid and left quickly. Still, I don't think either one of you should walk home alone."

"What are we gonna walk out as a group?" Kimiko asked, snickering a little. "Don't you and Koenma-san have reconciling to do tonight?"

"Uuuugh, don't remind me," came the tired groan. "We'll be here half the night. Makes me glad we're closed tomorrow!"

"I can walk Yukina-chan back to her place, right Yukina-chan?"

"Oh no, you shouldn't go out of your way for me," the ice maiden protested. "You'll have a much longer walk back!"

"I don't mind," Kimiko said breezily. "I missed out on half my route this morning cause I had to help someone find their way around, and by the time I was done, I was just ready for a nap. Now I have plenty of energy!"

"If you have that much energy, do you think you can run these documents to the post office on your way home?" Koenma asked, handing her a large manilla envelope as he walked out of his office and headed for the back door. "Thanks!"

"Hey, where are _you_ going?" Botan protested.

"Well, if we're going to be here all night, I figured a walk now would be better than later, so I'm going to pick up something to eat."

He slipped out before she could protest again, and Kimiko snickered at the annoyed look on her manager's face.

"At least he knows what to bring back?" she offered.

"Yes, but you know he's only doing it now to escape helping us clean again. Honestly..."

Kimiko and Yukina giggled.

"Well, since he's _not_ here, I'm picking the music for that much, at least," Botan declared, marching over to the store's CD player. "Let's see... Ah, this one should be good!"

Pop music practically bounced out of the stereo speakers, and Kimiko set the manila envelop on the counter so that she wouldn't forget it before she left. Then, the three women set to cleaning.

"Oh, Kimiko-san, I almost forgot, those books your friend Kazuma was asking about have come in," Yukina said as they finished up.

"Ah, okay. I'll let him know he can pick them up the day after tomorrow," she nodded. "He should be happy to see them; apparently his sixth sense has gone a little sideways for the past couple months. I kind of feel for him. Big dope that he is, it can't be fun to have minor control over those skills."

"Is he really bad at it?"

"Well, no, but he's not _good_ at it either. He and Shizuru can sense and see spirits, but can't do too much about them. It's always kind of bugged him, since he's a pretty nice guy, despite being a delinquent. I keep telling him he needs to spend some time with Master Genkai, but he always says he's too busy," she snorted a little, picking up the manila envelope as she passed the counter again. "I should have Shizuru get on his case. He listens to her... C'mon, let's get you home safe and sound, and we'll worry about the goober brain later!"

"Okay."

"Bye-bye Botan-san! Have fun~"

Botan's sigh made her laugh again, and they headed out the back entrance.

Kimiko liked Yukina; she was sweet and innocent, with a very kind heart. She didn't entirely understand humans, but then, she had come from a world in the demon realm that was more or less completely cut off, so she was learning a whole lot of things. Kimiko wasn't entirely certain how she'd found the shop, but she wasn't going to question it either; if she was being honest, she enjoyed Yukina's naivete. It felt like what she'd imagined having a little sister might be like.

"You really don't have to walk me home, Kimiko-san," she said, looking up at the brunette. "Really."

"Really, I don't mind," Kimiko replied, smiling a little. "Besides, I wouldn't put it past that creep to try and be a bigger creep. Now that we're _not_ at work, I can give him a good hard kick if he tries something."

Yukina just shook her head, and Kimiko smirked a little.

"Anyways, have you had any luck in your searching, Yukina-chan?"

"No, not yet, but it's only been a little while. I'm absolutely certain that my brother is out there, though. I can just... feel it."

"Well, don't push yourself too hard. It's gonna get hotter soon," and Kimiko grimaced. "August is always hell."

"Oh, I'm sure it won't be too much trouble."

"Yes, you say this _now_. Just wait, it will be."

Yukina giggled again at Kimiko's disgusted expression.

They chatted about light things all the way to Yukina's small apartment, where Kimiko left her friend to a relaxing evening at home. Dropping the paperwork at the post office on the way back took only a few minutes, as did hitting up one of her favorite stands for some takeaway. She glanced into the flower shop as she passed it, but there was no sign of the owner; she sighed a little for the missed opportunity, and continued on home. After a brief pause to get her own mail, she climbed three flights of stairs to unlock the door and walk into an empty as ever apartment.

Her keys and cell phone were tossed into the small basket near her door as she kicked off her shoes, and the mail ended up next to her meal on the kitchen table as she changed from her work clothes into a tanktop and shorts, then opened all the windows in the apartment to get some air flowing through. She still preferred having a stuffy apartment to someone trying to break in, but she knew it was going to get miserable sooner rather than later. As always, she made a mental note to buy a fan... and then promptly forgot about it as she flopped down to eat her take out.

After eating, she sent Kazuma a text to let him know his books were in, and reminding him again that she could always introduce him to Master Genkai if he wanted, then one to Shizuru that suggested she lean on Kazuma if the books didn't pan out. Chatting back and forth with the Kuwabara siblings killed more time than she expected, and she didn't start flipping through her letters until a quarter after eleven.

"Phone bill, gas bill, rent, letter from Master Genkai, picture package from Keiko, magazine, magazine, magazine, I am going to _kill_ him for signing me up for this crap, I swear, it's not funny..." she grumbled a little, tossing the fashion magazines to the side. "Electric bill... huh? I could've sworn..."

After a moment she grabbed the magazines and shook them; the familiar letter that lacked a return address fell out, and she made a pleased sound.

"There you are."

She dropped the magazines again, and picked up the letter. It had a specific feel to it that she'd learned to recognize from the start; these days it usually contained both words of encouragement, and a suggestion or two about demons that were not being as peaceful as they ought to be. Ignoring the rest of the mail—she could pay her bills in the morning, damnit—she unsealed the envelop and began reading.

 _Good job with that last one! She never even saw you coming, and you had her out before she could blink! Finding a new portal must have been tricky; it's been getting harder and harder for us to quickly open and close them, and we know that's not really something you have a lot of skill with. We've been looking about for a hunter who specializes in that sort of thing, to make your style of work easier, but so far, we're coming up empty._

 _Still, you've done some excellent work these past few months, Kimiko, and we're amazed at your results. Thank you for all of it. We know summer isn't your favorite time to work; it's not ours either! Hopefully we'll be able to relax through the hottest month and have some cool drinks on a beach somewhere, right?_

 _This next one is being tricky; Rando is a master of disguises, and he's a human hunter. He doesn't hunt just any humans, however, he hunts people like Master Genkai and yourself, seeking to steal their techniques and use them for himself. We've received information that suggests he's currently hiding out in the warehouse district in your city, and would like you to take him on, if possible._

 _Know that, as always, there's no shame in finding an opponent is too strong for you. If you see him, and think him beyond your capabilities, that's understandable. He has, at this point, killed 99 people after stealing their techniques, and he is known to be a ruthless sort of demon, who would not hesitate to use normal humans as hostages._

 _And if you do decide to take him on, be_ extremely _careful._

 _~KEJ~_

Along with the letter was a check; payment in half just for considering the job, she knew. If she took the job and lost, she'd get another check for the same amount, if she won, she got double. While she had never been sure _where_ the money had come from, between her work at the shop, and her work as a hunter, she was usually pretty good on funds.

After putting the letter and check away, she glanced out her window, then sighed. It was certainly dark enough to go out and be ignored by taking the rooftop route... and with it being her day off, she could spend most of it sleeping. Still, this was going to be two nights running that she got a crappy amount of sleep.

"Oh well," she muttered, getting up to change again. "Better to take a human-hunter before he knows about me, or knows I'm coming. If he's in _this_ area... I bet he's trying to find Master Genkai."

She paused, half into her t-shirt, and snickered a little. As much as she loved and respected her master, it would almost be funny to see this Rando try and take her out. Old Master Genkai was; out of practice and power? Oh most certainly not. Knowing her, she'd beat the demon to a pulp, and then blast his ass all the way back to the demon world.

She pinned up her hair once she was doing, muttering about the lack of hairpins—something she needed to remember to add to her shopping list—then stretched out her shoulders before going to pull on her shoes and breezing confidently out the door.


	2. One

One

He was a light sleeper by nature; old habits from his past as a thief died hard. So when he felt the explosion of energy, despite its distance, he was awake and moving before he was actually aware of the movement. It took him a few sleep befuddled minutes before he recognized that the energy was not actually near to him... it just felt that way because of the strength of it.

Moving from his bedroom to the main room, he followed the feel of it until he was looking out a window that faced the warehouse district; while he still couldn't see anything, he could most certainly feel it. Demon energy was clashing with the spirit energy of a human, and he couldn't quite tell who was winning. It promised to be a difficult fight for the human, if nothing else, and he was tempted to go and discover just what was going on...

Except he had a store to open in the morning, and it was just passing one am. He weighed his priorities briefly, then pulled back from the window, dropping the shade as an after-thought. He could make himself some soothing tea and tune out the energy with some effort, and he would only lose a little sleep.

That was the plan, anyways. But the battling energy was hard to ignore, even with the tea brewed specifically to help him rest. It just made too many of his old instincts clamor to the fore, and after spending the better part of an hour simply trying to sleep, he gave up. If he couldn't sleep, perhaps working with the flowers in the shop itself would help him.

His apartment connected to the main shop in two ways; one was an inner staircase that descended through the stock room where all the flower pots and vases were stored, the other was the outer stair connected to his balcony, which he used more often. Since there was no one to see, he took the inner stair after changing into his work clothes, and tried his best to ignore the clashing energy.

Working with the flowers, at least, provided an ample enough distraction that he was able to push the fight to the back of his mind. It wasn't his fight, it wasn't on his territory, and the human seemed to be holding their own, whoever they were. If a demon hunter had bitten off more than they could chew, well, he was admittedly going to have a hard time feeling bad about it. A lot of them attacked demons who were harmless; he'd had a near brush of his own a couple of times back when he was still in school. Few cared to differentiate between hostile and non-hostile... and fewer still would listen to reason once they had started to attack.

The battle's abrupt end he actually failed to notice, so engrossed was he in working with the flowers. If he was going to be up, he was going to be productive. And he would just have to muddle through the day as best he could.

* * *

Confidence had gotten her pretty far, really. Rando had taken the form of a short, monk-like fellow that she had intercepted not far from the warehouses themselves. She hadn't bought his act for a moment, but had waited for him to lead her to the place where he'd seen 'a most worrisome demon', which turned out to be an empty warehouse.

She'd challenged him, and the fight had gone about as she'd thought. Up until he'd lost his patience and shed the human disguise, which had, in turn, increased his available power.

Her master would have called her stubborn and stupid; Kimiko had to admit, Genkai wouldn't have been too far from the truth. She had evaded the webbing thanks to her speed, and his chanting had a flaw that she countered quickly by simply not giving him the breath to use in speech... but those had not been his only stolen skills. The fire-baseball was one she was going to have to share later, once the burns weren't quite so painful; she had failed to apply her barrier in time, and had taken at least two of those in the chest.

The warehouse hadn't _quite_ gone up in flames, but that was the point she had decided to stop playing nice. Pitting power and skill against power and skill had seemed like such a _good_ idea too...

It had been an incomplete version of her master's Spirit Wave that had finally won the fight, though getting him to come close enough after her leg had been broken had been a pain. She was fairly sure her arm was cracked too, at the very least. Not to mention the ribs. Definitely some internal damage there.

Her heart hurt as well; she hated having to kill people. But it was plain that Rando didn't care about human lives, and thus, he forced her hand. Because like _hell_ she was going to let an asshole like him take Master Genkai's secrets.

She had definitely won... but there were fire trucks approaching, and injured or not, she had to get away. She had enough energy to make a break for it, getting away before the fire-fighters and the police surrounded the area, but it faded quickly, tying itself up in the effort to heal her injuries. If she could have sat for a bit... But no, if she sat, she'd fall asleep, and if she fell asleep, someone was bound to run across her and come to the wrong conclusion. And she _hated_ hospitals.

So she staggered onward, her good arm wrapped around her ribs, trying to stick to the shadowy parts of the sidewalk, absurdly grateful for the early morning hour. She was definitely going to _need_ to sleep the day away after this fight. Hell, she might need two!

Her head ached abysmally as she limped onward; she hadn't gone _through_ the metal walls, but there was no doubt she'd made in impression. Hell, there were probably a couple of impressions in the concrete floor as well, one from her, and one from him. She wondered what the normal humans would make of it; demons and other demon hunters would know, but regular humans? She could almost look forward to hearing those theories.

Almost.

Her vision, she realized after perhaps a moment too long, was grayed out around the edges. Her sight was narrowing into tunnel vision, which did not bode well for her at all. Her foot caught in a crack, wrenching her injured leg hard enough to make her swear aloud as she toppled, trying to shift herself to avoid making her injuries worse as she impacted the cement.

Kimiko laid their for a minute, her harsh breathing echoing in her ears. Maybe she could just... lay where she'd fallen for a few minutes. Maybe-

She heard a door open before she sensed him—that more than anything told her just how weak she currently was. A soft, unfamiliar voice muttered a few choice words before footsteps hurried towards her. The steps were accompanied by demon energy, and she struggled to try and push herself up; she didn't have another fight in her, but she wasn't going to be killed lying down, damnit!

Hands caught her shoulders, helping to ease her into a sitting position.

"Miss, can you hear me?"

"Nn... yeah."

She lifted her head, and managed to look up into eyes that were a startling shade of emerald green. Or at least she tried; she was seeing double, apparently, and wasn't sure which face she ought to focus on. But she did somewhat recognize him as the demon who quietly ran the florist shop. Well. Hopefully he wasn't going to be trouble...

"Can you stay upright if I leave you for a moment? I'll get the shop phone and call you an ambulance."

"No!" and she grabbed his shirt with her injured arm, then swore a little. "No... hospitals. I just need... a quiet place."

She wasn't sure how she was holding on, but at least he hadn't gotten up.

"You're very badly injured miss," he said, his voice low and insistent. "You should go to a hospital to get tended too."

She shook her head, and immediately regretted it.

"I just need rest," she insisted. "I heal... faster on my own. Hospital would just... slow it down."

He made a sound that she recognized as disbelief. On another day she would have been happy to show off, but she was only just clinging to consciousness right now, and all her energy was tied up anyways.

"Please..." She mumbled. "Please?"

"If there's no hospital involved, do you object to being tended to?"

She could have laughed; this demon was actually being sensible! Or at least, willing to humor her.

"None. Just... no hospitals."

She heard him sigh, and then to her surprise he carefully put an arm under her knees, and lifted her up. She swore with the pain of it, but didn't try to get out of his hold; she _did_ need tending to at this point. Her energy could only heal so much, and it was tied up with trying to keep things from getting _worse_.

"I've got a first aid kit down here, and some plant stakes that will do to brace your legs... I'm going to put you down on the chair now, all right?"

"Kay..."

The chair was not comfortable; it was solid, made of wood... and she was getting blood on it.

"...sorry about this," she mumbled, trying again to focus on him. "And thanks..."

She couldn't make out his expression, but his body language suggested wary concern. After a moment, Kimiko just let her eyes close. She was just so damn _tired_.

"Straightening your arm and leg are going to hurt," he warned her.

She let out a pained laugh.

"Yeah, I know. Pull away."

She fell the cool scissors that snipped away the cloth over her broken arm, and swore profusely at his swift straightening and binding of the injury. The leg, however, proved to be too much; the cracking of bone being pulled into its proper place and the accompanying pain shoved her those last few steps into unconsciousness.

Shuuichi frowned faintly at the limp young woman, more concerned than upset or annoyed. The morning jogger was in no fit shape to go anywhere; her clothing was ruined both by blood and by his need to address her injuries, and her energy seemed to be at low ebb, no doubt died up with keeping her insides intact.

She had been adamant about not calling an ambulance, but he was considering it anyways...

After a moment, he sighed, and locked the shop back up before moving to carry her again; though it went against his better judgment, he was going to have to take her upstairs, and finish dressing her wounds in his apartment. He had some old, spare clothing she could wear in exchange, and perhaps she might even have an interesting story to tell once she woke up.

A tiny part of him found irony in the situation. Were he still the Yoko of old, he wouldn't have been even slightly interested in coming to her aid. Would, in fact, have done what he could to finish the hunter off. But she didn't deserve that, he felt, not now, unreasonable request or not.

He tended to her various injuries, slowing the bleeding and closing the worst of them up with his knowledge of plants, bandaging those that needed it. It was a bit embarrassing to finish cutting her out of her clothes so that he _could_ see to her wounds, and he privately admitted to great relief once he had her in a shirt that covered more or less everything.

Since she was the guest, he put her in his bed, tucking the blanket up under her chin, and took a step back to briefly study her. Already she seemed to have improved a little; her energy was rising bit by bit, though it centered around her most grievous injuries, and her expression was a little smoother, not so much pained. Her color was slightly improved as well; she'd been very pale, lying there on the sidewalk.

He sighed a little, and went downstairs to clean up. It was going to be a _very_ long day.

* * *

It was the smells that finally brought her around; someone was cooking something that... well, frankly, smelled absolutely wonderful. Nothing like her wreck of an apartment, that was for sure. After smell, more sensations blurred back in, bit by bit, and she cautiously cracked open her eyes. The ceiling was unfamiliar, and there was light coming in through a mostly closed shade over the bed; she judged it with a frown, determining after a moment that it had to be around six. Which meant she had quite literally slept the day away.

She sat up slowly, wincing as her body clamored its protests, and pushed the blanket off a little clumsily. Her arm felt mostly healed up, as did her leg, so after looking to make sure she didn't have someone watching her—she could _sense_ him, but not see him, and that was a little worrying—she unbuttoned the borrowed shirt and undid the bandages that held the plant stakes to her arm. She flexed her wrist with care, and while it _hurt_ , nothing grated, or felt like it was out of place. Small favors.

She slid her arm back into the shirt and buttoned it back up, somewhat amused at the size of it; it was much too large for her to wear as anything but a casual shirt... but she appreciated the length of it. Clearly her helper—she was not clear on who, her memories were still on the fuzzy side of coherent, but the energy was... familiar, somehow—had thought it necessary as well, since there was pretty much no way to get on pants over even the makeshift sort of splint on her leg.

She undid that one too, carefully rotating knee and ankle to check it. Fragile, she decided. She could limp home with some help, or crutches, though. With some food, her energy should finish bouncing right back up, and she could heal it better then. It would be tender—all her injuries would—for a few days, but after that, she would be ready for another round of ass-kicking.

"Ah, you're awake. That's good; I had hoped you would be up in time to eat something."

She jumped, mentally cursing for letting herself get so distracted, and looked up to see the red-haired florist shop owner, whose name she didn't actually know. He was standing in the doorway of the room holding a tray; on it was a bowl of what looked to be soup, and a salad, a cup that looked to have something in it, and to her complete surprise, a tiny vase that held a sakura flower. Something about the absurdity of the tiny flower relaxed her enough that most of her wariness evaporated.

"Uh. Yeah. Hi. Thank you?"

"How are you feeling?" he asked, carefully putting the tray over her outstretched legs.

"Better," she admitted. "Sorry about... everything? I must've been a wreck..."

He smiled faintly, and pulled over a chair to sit on. She noticed absently that there were a pair of pants draped over the back; it struck her briefly as odd, since he didn't seem the sort to do that.

"It's not the first time I've had to help someone with injuries, but yours were a bit more extensive than I've had to deal with for a while."

"You did really well. The parts that hurt now are mostly just the bruises..." She carefully tested the soup, and her eyes widened a little. "Wow. This is really good!"

"I added some restorative herbs to it, and to your water. You should eat now, and maybe afterward, you can tell me what happened?"

She thought about it for a moment, then shrugged; he had tended her injuries, and was letting her sleep in a bed. Probably his, if he didn't have a guest room. She could do that much, at least.

"Sure. Though can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"How badly wrecked _are_ my clothes?"

"I'm afraid they're a complete loss, miss," and his faint smile turned rueful. "There wasn't much chance they could be saved, so I put them in the trash bin."

"Figures," she sighed. "Next time, don't wear the favorite shirt."

It startled a chuckle out of him, as she'd hoped it would.

"I'm Kimiko, by the way. Urameshi Kimiko."

"Minamino Shuuichi. It's nice to actually meet you, Urameshi-san."

"Don't worry about formal," she said with a dry grin. "Just Kimiko is fine."

"Kimiko-san, then," he replied, nodding a little. "Then you must call me Shuuichi."

She grinned.

"Gladly."

She turned her attention to the food as he left the room, quite happy to eat and drink until her stomach said it was full. The restorative herbs kicked in surprisingly quick, giving her a much needed energy boost. She shooed the energy towards her arm and leg, though it would still take another few hours before they could be considered back to full bone strength, never mind the muscle damage... Explaining the bruises were going to be interesting, but bruises weren't worth the effort of manual healing; they'd be gone in a few days on their own.

She grabbed the pants that had been sitting on the chair and pulled them on, then carefully stood. Kimiko's leg sent up a vehement protest as she put weight on it, but she gritted her teeth and pushed through the pain, hefting the tray and limping her way out into the living room.

It was nice, she decided after a moment of thought. But then, pretty much everyone she knew had a nicer place than she did. Mostly because she didn't put much effort into her apartment, because she never had anyone over anyways.

He had a number of plants in various places, a long, dark brown couch that held a folded up blanket and pillow at the moment—telling her just where he had spent the night, or was he planning to sleep there and let her stay another night? Something to curtail quickly, since she _could_ walk—and a much nicer kitchen set up than she did. The place was pretty much spotless at that, making her wonder how he did it.

Shuuichi seemed surprised to see her up, and moved quickly to assist; she didn't try and stop him, since her limp was pretty pronounced, and he whisked the tray out of her hands.

"Would you like more?" he asked.

"No, thanks. I'm stuffed, but it was really good. I'm jealous. I can't cook anywhere near that good."

"A life of bachelordom does lend itself to some necessary skills," he said.

She stared at him for a moment, then grinned. That had sounded like a joke. She had never been able to resist sly humor.

"Or you just give up and resign yourself to takeout~"

He chuckled a bit himself, shaking his head slightly as he turned to wash the dishes in his sink.

"Yes, I suppose that is an option as well. You should sit, Kimiko-san, I expect your leg isn't as healed up as you'd like."

She made a face at his back, but obediently sat in one of the dining room chairs, absently pulling up her leg to gently run a hand over the still-healing injury.

"Not really, but it's good enough to walk home on, so I shouldn't need to put you out another night. And seriously, thank you for helping me. And feeding me. And the clothes. I'll return them as soon as I've gotten the chance to wash them."

"You should really rest for another day," he said, slanting her a glance.

"And I will, but I can make it home like this, so you don't have to spend another night on the couch," and despite herself, she smiled a little. "I hear that's bad for your back, and all."

"Hmm..."

She pulled her hair over her shoulder and started unbraiding it, letting her mind wander briefly. She felt predisposed to liking him, really, much as she had with Yukina. He felt... comfortable. Not necessarily _peaceful_ , but comfortable. Hell, _safe_ , even and she almost never thought that about _anyone_. And he had abided by her choices, while still finding a way to help her out. As she carefully finger-combed her hair, she kept her eyes on him, then nodded a little to herself.

While this wasn't the way she would have chosen to meet him, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Hm? Oh, sure, please. If it's not any trouble, I mean."

"I wouldn't have offered if it was."

"...point. Then, yes, please."

When the tea was made, and she had a cup loosely between her hands, he sat too.

"So, story time?" she said a little wryly.

"I think I can guess at least part of it," he said after a moment. "You're a demon hunter, aren't you?"

"Mmmm... yes and no," Kimiko said, frowning a little. "It's complicated. Demon thumper, maybe, but I don't like killing them when I can avoid it. Unless they're extremely violent, or known to hunt and kill humans, I usually just kick the crap out of them, and then punt them back to the demon realm. If they're being attacked by other demons, or other hunters, I might intervene, especially if they're looking to just get away, and not really hurting anyone. It... doesn't make me many human friends, but," and she shrugged a little, "eh. I wouldn't exactly call myself personable anyways."

"Well, that is certainly a matter of perspective," he said, studying her in what she felt was a thoughtful manner.

To her surprise—and mild annoyance—she felt herself blushing. To cover it up, she took a sip of the tea.

"Next question?"

* * *

Shuuichi stifled a smile at her expense; it seemed Kimiko was not use to receiving much in the way of compliments. He had to admit, privately, that turning around to see her with her hair down had been surprising; with it framing her face, her looks softened some. Or perhaps it was the pain that was subtly lurking behind eyes that were a startling shade of purple...

"Hmm... next question indeed," he murmured, idly turning his cup in his hands. "You looked more like someone tried to thump you."

Kimiko's expression became a blend of sheepishness and irritation.

"My master is going to chide me for being sloppy when I next go see her," she said with a sigh. "I suppose I deserve it. So, okay, I don't know how other hunters do their thing, but I get pointed in the direction of the dangerous by letter, and then the rest gets left up to me. Sometimes I get lucky, sometimes I don't. I suppose you could count this time as me being lucky-ish? But it wasn't exactly my best performance."

She made a face, and he had to smile; she was very expressive, far more so than he had thought she might be from his observations.

"I'm getting sloppy, I guess. Master Genkai will have me training pretty hard to make up for it," she paused thoughtfully, her voice dropping to a murmur. "...wonder if Botan-san would let me have all of August? Hm...I'll have to remember to ask..."

He tensed up slightly, unable to help himself. Every demon who knew hunters knew of Master Genkai. A renowned hunter herself, she had unexpectedly vanished after some tournament half a century prior. Seclusion, some had said, for something that had taken place during the tournament itself. He hadn't paid attention back then, more interested in building up his power base so he could challenge other demons for their territory.

So, this girl was her student then? Or perhaps even more than that. She was someone to treat with cautious and care... but she had also responded to his help by being open and frank, not to mention patently informal. Something about that was comforting.

"I assume you won your fight...?"

She grimaced.

"Sort of. It kind of torched a warehouse... I'm not to proud of either part, but I couldn't let a human-hunter keep raising hell in my area. He was bragging how he'd killed over a hundred other hunters after stealing their techniques from them... jerkass."

She scowled down at her tea, then sighed.

"I hate when I get pushed that hard... Not because I don't want to improve, I do, but..." she shook her head a little. "I just don't like killing. It never feels right."

He studied her for a long moment, where her eyes were downcast. She was being _very_ sincere, he decided, perhaps more sincere than she meant to. Did she had no one else to talk to about matters like this? After a moment she shook her head again, and glanced back up at him.

"Sorry. Don't mind me and my drama, I'll get over it," she said, her tone turning deliberately light and airy. "How'd you guess, though?"

"Ah... the power explosion woke me," he admitted. "Probably more than just me, really, you're quite lucky you made it unmolested so far."

She laughed a little, then looked a bit surprised, as if she hadn't expected to laugh at all. A sad smile lingered briefly after, making him wonder yet again who, if anyone, she talked to on a regular basis. She seemed to shake it off quickly enough... but he suspected otherwise.

"One of the first things my master discovered I had a talent for was masking and manipulating my energy. Even when it's all tied up in healing, I can mask my presence pretty well. Enough to be overlooked, anyways," she sighed a little. "Lucky me."

There was a hint of bitterness to the words, but again she seemed to shake it off quickly.

"In any case, I can usually dodge notice that way. I mean, if you're looking for... oh, a giant watermelon," and the faint hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, "and instead saw a tiny little blueberry, would you bother with the blueberry?"

"Some people would crush the blueberry," he pointed out. "Because you can never be too careful."

She snickered a little, and saluted him slightly with her cup of tea.

"Okay, so my analogy needs work. Point being that when you have a big blowout of energy, getting out quick, and making yourself small usually works to divert attention," she said wryly. "In my case, it worked almost too well. Sorry about waking you up, but I'm glad you were. I don't really want to think about how it would have gone if I'd laid there all night."

"It would not have gone well," he said after a moment, "if you dislike hospitals so much."

She shuddered.

"Yeah, no."

"May I ask why?"

She blinked, and looked briefly pensive.

"There's lots of unhappy ghosts around hospitals. Some of them want to possess anyone they can get their hands on. In my weakened state, I'm a good candidate for that sort of thing, and having dealt with possession cases before, they are a _pain_ to clear out. Plus, I really do heal faster without the intervention of needles and drugs and monitoring systems... As you may have already noticed."

"Yes... but I am not as certain as you that you are safe to leave," he said after a minute, studying her.

She stiffened, and judging by her expression, she felt insulted.

"I don't mean to belittle your skills, but your energy _is_ still tied up in your healing. You were limping very obviously, and while there is no certainty that someone _would_ attack, there's also no certainty that they wouldn't. And as you are now, it would not take much effort to reinjure you limbs, which I'm sure you would rather not endure, and it would tax your energy considerably, depending on how far away you live.

"Also," he continued as her insulted look faded into irritated thoughtfulness. "my skills with plants will help with your recovery. While I don't doubt most of your superficial wounds have finished healing, checking the rest would be prudent, and it would be much easier with help, wouldn't it?"

The irritation grew more pronounced, but judging from the way her eyes were flicking slightly, he had to assume she was considering the proposal seriously.

* * *

Logic was not Kimiko's best friend at times. Because he was _right_ , damnit, and she didn't really want him to be. She had come to dislike being vulnerable, and being taken care of was something she only allowed family to do. If then.

"Then I'll take the couch," she said.

"You'll have the bed," he countered, his tone turning stern. "My mother raised me to be polite, and the host always cedes the bed to his guest."

"That's just _silly_ ," she protested. "I can heal just as well on the couch as on the bed, and it's _your_ bed, isn't it? Not a guest room?"

"Regardless, the bed is yours, and it would please me if you would make use of it, instead of compromising yourself."

She muttered a few choice comments under her breath about stubborn men, huffing her annoyance as she caught the faintest hint of smug relaxation coming from him.

"Fiiiine. Fine fine fine. If you're going to be so stubborn about it-"

"I am."

"-I'll sleep in the bed."

"Thank you," and his smile _was_ just the slightest hint smug. "The bathroom is over there, and there should be some spare towels under the sink. We can rebandage your wounds after you're done in there?"

Since that _had_ been the next thing she was about to snappishly ask, she was actually rather glad he'd volunteered the information. With a somewhat curt nod, she finished off her tea and got to her feet, stomping down a little harder than necessary with her injured leg; it immediately sent a flare of fire up, and she had to grab the back of the dining chair to stay upright, swearing softly.

His hands slid under her elbows, surprising her into looking up, and she saw the concern again, this time without the wariness of the night before.

"Here. Take it slow, and you'll be all right."

The pain had quickly sapped both ire and energy, so she was glad of the help.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I'm used to being... by myself, and I guess some of my master's attitude has rubbed off on me."

She felt him chuckle slightly.

"It's all right. Not everyone is good at being a patient."

That made her huff out a slight laugh of her own, and stick out her tongue. She caught his answer smile, and felt... warm.

The bathroom was small, but functional, and after he pulled out a couple of towels for her to use, he left her to take care of herself. Undoing the bandages after using the toilet was the most difficult part;she hadn't realized quite how many lacerating hits she'd taken in that fight with Rando, and some of the gauze pads simply did _not_ want to come off.

She cleaned off the dried blood in the shower, and forwent trying to relax in his bath; between her removal of all the bandaging, and the hot water from the shower, some of her deeper slices had reopened and were bleeding sluggishly. Annoyingly, a few of them were awkwardly placed on her back, and after putting her underthings back on, she was forced to admit Shuuichi and his box of medicines.

By the time he was done, and she was able to get dressed again, she was too tired to protest being helped back into the bed. As she snuggled down, she was willing to swear that she heard him chuckle, before she was washed away into the tides of dreams.


	3. Two

Two

No matter how little or how much sleep she had gotten the night prior, Kimiko always woke before five. It was something her master had gotten her into the habit of, because Genkai liked early mornings for... well, on some days, beating the crap out of her less-than-awake apprentice. But just in general, even when she wasn't throwing Kimiko out of bed for training, she'd noticed her master enjoying the early morning hours.

Granted, Master Genkai was a hermit, and well-hidden, so few people actually bothered her the way they bothered Kimiko, but still. It was a habit she had gotten into, and couldn't really break.

There was a bit of disorientation as she woke; part of her was listening for the alarm of her phone, which, as she woke up more, she remembered breaking in the fight with Rando. The lack of alarm was a bit disturbing, but as she recalled the previous day, she relaxed a little. The sleep, in a comfortable place, had done her energy wonders.

She couldn't hear any movement outside the room, nor did she see any lights on. It was actually tempting to try and go back to sleep, but after a moment she sighed, carefully pushed off the blankets, and performed some careful stretches to see how much her injuries had healed.

Her leg was still aching fiercely; no doubt her stomp from the night before had undone a good portion of the work. But the rest of her felt more or less back in one piece. Tender, but functional. She nodded a little to herself, pacing carefully around the borrowed bedroom, then stopped and dropped into the chair so that she could manually check the damage to her leg. Her energy was more or less back where it ought to be, but for some reason actually healing her own injuries was more complicated than healing someone else. If she was going to borrow Shuuichi's phone to call the shop, she had to be absolutely certain that she wasn't going to be able to stand on it for the eight hours her shift would take.

It was definitely the bone, she decided as she ran her hands along her shin. Apparently it had not been as simple a break as she'd thought, so it was taking longer to rebuild. She made a quiet sound of disgust as she focused on trying to soothe the injury; as nice as it was to sleep in a westen-style bed again, she didn't feel like putting Shuuichi out more than she absolutely had too. She already owed him enough for hearing her out, and then taking care of her. Putting herself into even _more_ debt was discomforting; she hated to owe, especially when she didn't know someone well enough to figure out how they might use the debt.

And there _was_ something secretive about him. She wanted to trust him, and really couldn't help but feel relaxed around him, but that didn't mean she knew him.

After a moment she leaned back and sighed; no, her leg would not be able to take the standing, walking, weight-shifting, and everything else her job entailed until early evening at best. That was annoying too. After a glance at the clock, and a mental shrug—she could leave a message on the store's answering machine—she got to her feet again and limped as quietly as she could out of the room. She didn't want to wake him if he was still sleeping, after all.

* * *

The unfamiliar footsteps woke him quickly, though he remained still on the couch. She was trying hard enough to be quiet that he didn't want to startle her... just know what she was doing. Fortunately, his eyesight and hearing were exceptionally acute, due in no small part to his original demon form. So Shuuichi was able to watch as she carefully limped over to the portable phone, lifted it off the stand with a faint click, then took it back to the bedroom.

Knowing the apartment as well as he did allowed him to slip over to the door far more silently than she had exited, and though eavesdropping was rude, he felt the need to ascertain whether or not she might be calling someone dangerous.

"Hi Botan-san, it's Kimiko," he heard her murmuring. "I had a bit of an accident yesterday, so I'm not going to be able to make it in. I ought to be there tomorrow though. Sorry about this. Oh, _and_ my phone broke, but I ought to get another one this afternoon. See you!"

Leaving a message, but not to anyone he might know. Her workplace then. But he heard her dialing a new number, and waited.

"...yes, good morning to you too, Master," and her voice was dry, but there was an undercurrent of pleasure as well. "Yes, it's me. Not sure yet, but I'm going to try for the month of August. Both. Yes, I do have a lot to tell you, and I looked forward to letting you rag about my latest mistakes, as always. No, no, I'm not in trouble right now. Okay, yes, I was, but I'm okay now, other than being in need of a new phone. Again. Um... I think four this year. Yeah yeah yeah, laugh it up." She sighed, but he had the sense that she was smiling. "They just don't make them as durable as they used to. It's sad. Oh, really? Tell them I said hello, and I ought to see them if they're around in August. Uh huh. Pfft, like he'd ever leave off the booze. You should get him to learn tricks with fire, then he'd _really_ have a use for the alcohol!" She laughed, but it was soft; plainly she was still trying to avoid waking him up. It made him feel faintly duplicitous for listening in so intently to what was a private conversation. "Okay, well, then you'd better go kick the flyboy out of bed so he can get better. Uh huh. See you soon, Master."

She sighed a little as she hung up, and he shifted a little to slide away from the door.

"Eavesdropping is rude, you know."

He winced a little, then, since she'd acknowledged his presence, moved to stand in the doorway.

"How did you guess?"

"Felt you," she shrugged lightly, barely discernible in the light from the outside streetlamp. "I tend to sense things before I see them, so I'm always on alert. Did I wake you up?"

There was no reason to disassemble, so he nodded slightly, moving in to sit at the chair which was still at the side of the bed.

"Mmn. Sorry about that. I'm kind of a mandatory early bird... Though I suppose you are too, since I usually see you downstairs by my second lap."

He chuckled a little.

"I must confess, I initially had no intention of starting work that early when I first bought the shop, but every now and again I would notice a strange energy passing. I grew curious enough to come down, and work in the shop was a good excuse to be standing there when you went by. After a few months, it became habit."

She snickered a little, passing him the phone. He leaned sideways to put it on the desk, and then flicked on the lamp for mild illumination. It was easier to talk with someone when you could see all of them, after all. She winced a little, and shielded herself briefly from the unexpected light, making a slight face at him.

"Master Genkai gets up before dawn," she said, rubbing her eyes briefly, "and when I first started training at the compound she made me keep the same hours, whether I wanted to or not. Worth it, but definitely not always fun. Now it's just easier to get up and start the day with a jog. I can do a lot more in the early mornings and late evenings without worrying to much about ordinary humans getting in the way."

Her tone was matter-of-fact, but her expression held hints of sarcasm. Not derision, but almost gentle self-mockery. He nodded a little at the logic of it.

"There aren't as many humans active at those hours, nor demons. That makes them stand out more."

Her eyebrows went up in surprise, and then a tiny smile appeared briefly on her face. Pleasure, he thought, at someone understanding without needing to explain.

"Pretty much. And on days where I don't have to work until the afternoon, I can catch a quick nap after getting home." She paused, then gave him a curious look. "I always see you in the mornings,but never in the afternoons. What do you do?"

He smiled a little.

"My assistants come in starting around two in the afternoon, and I leave them to Kokoda, my step-brother. I usually spends the afternoons and evenings back in the greenhouse, working with the plants."

"Cause that's where your skills are," she said, sounding pleased.

"Correct," and he smiled a little. "Though that was not terribly difficult to deduce."

Kimiko's grin was brief, and wry.

"No, but I like confirmation of my random stabs in the dark," she said dryly. "I can be forgiven a lack in judgment about a fight, because I'm occasionally as hot-headed as my brother. But I think Master Genkai would make my head ring like a gong for _weeks_ if I wasn't paying attention to what skills helped or hindered me."

"Brother?"

"Mmhm. Twin, really. He's better at the whole fighting thing; he's always had something of a chip on his shoulder, and a ton of natural skill. I never could figure out why I got tapped to train with Master Genkai instead of him..."

After a moment, Kimiko shrugged, then gathered up her hair and absently started finger-combing it.

"Moot point now, at least. Yuu's settled a lot from what he used to be, which is nice... He used to give me and Keiko serious headaches from putting up with his crap."

She was relaxing again, he noticed, as she talked about her brother. There was the sort of irritated fondness that came from having a close family member whom you loved but also drove you crazy at times in both her face and her voice.

"What would he do?" he asked, both curious to hear, and because he liked her relaxed.

Kimiko snorted a little.

"Gods, what _wouldn't_ he do," she rolled her eyes. "He skipped school a lot, and even when he attended, he'd skip classes so that we'd have to go looking for him. He was _always_ getting into fights, and winning... Kazuma still can't actually beat him, even though now they only fight for the fun of it. I swear, Kzauma and Keiko were our only friends, all through middle school. And high school!"

She threw up her hands and shook her head a little. He chuckled faintly, liking the animation of face and voice.

"I almost went to Daichi's with Keiko, but _someone_ had to sit on Yusuke to make sure he'd actually attend his classes... And that happened to be me, yaaaay."

"Not your mother?"

Kimiko looked away briefly, then sighed.

"We got a scare when we were fourteen, and she shaped up a bit as a parent after, but it didn't last long. Ma's..." she shook her head a little and shrugged. "We were an accident, really. Me and Yuu, I mean. I guess she did her best, but she's not really the model parent sort. So, I'd make Yuu go to school, and he made sure we ate, and I _still_ have no idea how either of us graduated, but we did. The Yukimuras, and Kuwabaras, I suppose..."

"I see. What does your brother do now?"

"Well, him and Keiko got married a couple of years ago," she grinned a little eyes going distant at the memory. "He's still running his food stand, as far as I've heard, but the Yukimuras are considering retiring soon, and I'm pretty sure they want Yuu to take over the diner for them. Keiko's definitely all for it; my brother might be a punk no matter his age, but he's _really_ good at the cooking. Which is just not fair, why does he get all the talent where I have to do it the hard way?"

She pouted a little, and Shuuichi lifted a hand to hide his smile. _Very_ expressive when she was relaxed. And very cute. After a moment Kimiko slanted him a sidelong look, and he did his best to pretend sobriety. To his surprise, she grinned.

"I know, I know. I'm being dramatic. But really, I'm amazed at anyone who can cook," she shook her head a little. "I can do basic things, but it's definitely not my skill. I usually just get take out on the way home,and buy lunches from the market near the bookshop. Botan-san is always getting on my case about it..."

"Botan-san?"

"My manager. She's really nice, but can get a bit soap-boxy about things. She does all the floor stuff while Koenma-san handles paperwork, and us minions do the rest," Kimiko grinned a bit in a self-depreciating manner. "Most minions come and go, but I like the flexibility of it. Maybe it doesn't pay the best, but the bosses are nice, and that says a lot. I've got the most seniority after Botan-san, and then Yukina-chan is after me. She's been working there for six months now. She said she was hoping to find her brother, but so far she hasn't had a lot of luck."

He hid his reaction to the third name quickly; he hadn't seen or even _heard_ from Hiei in the past two and some decades he'd been human. But it would be just his luck to run into the short demon now, after hearing that piece of information.

Asking her leading questions, and letting her flow with the answers passed the time surprisingly quickly, as well as taught him a number of things both about the woman he was sitting with, and the world in which she was settled into. Not that it was all one-sided, of course; he told her about his own school life, and even a small bit about how he'd ended up in the human world. Not enough to reveal the past he was still trying to decide how to come to terms with, but enough to see her eyes light up with interest, and amusement at his predicament.

In fact, the sun was well up by the time he realized he should probably get to work on breakfast, and she looked surprised to realize it was almost full daylight as well.

"Don't you have to open the shop?" she asked, her tone turning concerned and a bit worried.

"No, I decided yesterday that I would let Kokoda handle it today. He's been asking me lately to let him have more to do, so we agreed he could have today as a trial run while I took care of other things. If he does well, perhaps I can have more than one day off per week."

"Oh. Huh," she nodded thoughtfully, then snapped her fingers. "Ah, right, before it completely skips my brain again, this," and she waved at her leg, "should be okay for walking on again at around two-ish. So I'll be able to get out of your hair at that point."

Shuuichi paused for thought, and found that the idea made him a little sad; she was an open, friendly person, whether she considered herself personable or not. She had a sense of humor that was both sly and indulgent, and he could sense that she was almost desperately lonely, even if she did hide it extremely well.

"I don't mind," he finally said, meeting her eyes and smiling a little. "While it's not precisely the way I would have chosen to meet you, and get to know you, I am rather glad you fell in a heap outside the store."

She blinked. Blushed a little. Averted her eyes briefly. Then snickered, and glanced back up at him with a dry smile.

"Yeah, I could have gone without the beating, but... I'm glad to finally get to talk to you."

* * *

By early afternoon, Kimiko's prediction about her healing was justified. She still limped, but it was no longer as pronounced, and she could hide it entirely with a bit of shifting in her gait. She felt a little sorry to go, really. She liked sitting on this plush couch, with the feeling that she was actually managing to make a friend. His life was a lot calmer than hers, but it was still interesting, and she was certainly curious about how he worked with plants...

Still, it was better to finish some chores quick, so that she could go home and rest her leg. Plus, she probably needed to touch base with at least Kazuma and her brother if nothing else. As she stood, Shuuichi looked up at her, his expression thoughtful.

"What all do you need to get done this afternoon?" he asked.

"I need to go back to my apartment and change first," she said, ticking off points on her fingers "Pay the rent, replace my phone, probably visit the laundromat and the bathhouse after, then find some place that's open for some quick food, before I shut in for the night and let Yuu and Kazuma talk my ear off."

"Hm... would you object to continued company?"

The question surprised her enough that she stared blankly at him for a minute.

"You don't need to go down and check on your brother?" she finally asked.

"Kokoda is capable, and to be fair, I believe he is quite suited to taking the entire day by himself. If he weren't, he would have called up here and complained already," Shuuichi said with a faintly amused smile. "And I am not so eager to come to the end of spending time talking with you. You are interesting."

Kimiko blinked a couple of times, turning the comment over in her head, and weighing the idea. True, she hadn't wanted to leave either, but she certainly hadn't expected this.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," she said after a moment, which caused a quick grin to flash across his face, "and... I guess? I mean, it's just boring as hell routine stuff."

"If I find I am feeling bored, I will let you know," he said.

He certainly _sounded_ sincere, and after a moment she shrugged.

"Well, if you _really_ want to, I guess so."

He stood then, and went over to get his shoes, keys, and wallet.

"Here," he said, motioning her towards a door set into the wall next to his kitchen area. "I usually take the outside stair, and this will allow you to see the greenhouse as well."

She perked up, immediately curious, and trotted her way over to him after grabbing her own shoes—the only piece of clothing outside her underwear that had been salvageable from her fight, thanks to them being sturdy canvas, and also black. After locking the door behind them, he led the way down the stairs at the far end of the balcony. She was immediately captivated by the large plastic greenhouse and almost ran into him when he stopped to wait for her.

"I think I'm jealous," she said after a minute. "That's... really impressive. Was this here before?"

He shook his head.

"No, this was something Kokoda and I, along with our father, built not long after I decided to buy this shop and start working as a florist," he said comfortably. "Of course, Kokoda doesn't know how I produce fresh flowers every day, but he thinks we simply have a very good supplier that I see weekly."

Kimiko snickered a little.

"Well, he's not _entirely_ wrong, is he?"

"No, not entirely," Shuuichi admitted with a small smile. "I spend most of my afternoons in here, so if you ever have a free afternoon, you are welcome to come back and say hello."

"Huh. I may take you up on that," she said with a wry smile. "Sometimes I work an early shift... though most of the time I'm an afternoon and evening worker."

"Still," he said, just lightly touching her on the shoulder as they stepped into the alleyway. "You're welcome to stop in whenever you'd like, Kimiko-san."

"Ahhh? Hey, no, didn't I say _just_ Kimiko?"

"At least twice, Kimiko-san," he said.

She couldn't see his expression from behind, but the set of his shoulders suggested amusement. She sighed theatrically, rolling her eyes, and made a faintly disgusted sound. Boys were just _weird_ at times, and it was clear that this was going to be, at least, a sticking point for him. Well, she supposed _someone_ had to be polite... she was casual, just like her brother. Though he hadn't seemed to mind the lack of honorifics...

" _Anyways_ , I'll keep it in mind," she said tartly. "I have a couple plants at home for color. I haven't managed to kill them yet, at least... C'mon, it's this way."

She took the lead as they left the alley behind, and they quickly merged into afternoon foot traffic, slipping speedily past the shop, which was not _quite_ as busy as usual. She glanced sidelong at Shuuichi, a faintly wry smile tugging at her mouth.

"I'm guessing for most of the ladies who frequent, you're the main attraction?" she said slyly.

He sighed a little, a rueful expression on his face.

"That would be the case. They are all very nice, of course, and usually buy at least one thing that gives them an excuse to linger... but it can be a little tedious at times."

She snickered mercilessly, and patted his arm lightly.

"Poor Shuuichi, surrounded all day by lovely ladies, and not attracted to a one," she teased.

It was his turn to slant her a look, and she just grinned cheekily; this was actually fun, and more amusing than being left to her own thoughts while she walked. Besides, there _was_ something about the situation that just plain amused her. All those women trying to get his attention, and here she was, having caught it completely by accident.

He waited politely in the hall outside her apartment while she changed into clean clothes and packed a small backpack full for the bathhouse, then grabbed her laundry bag and her wallet, leaving the backpack behind for the return trip.

She felt better for the clean clothes, certainly, and more comfortable in her old jeans and loose tank top, especially with the scrapes and slices pretty much all healed up. On the way out of the apartment complex, she paid her rent, plus some extra so that she could get another copy of her key made, and they walked the three blocks to the laundromat, chatting off and on about nothing in particular.

"There are closer ones," Shuuichi said, pointing one out as they waited at a crosswalk.

"I know. But the one I'm heading for is part of a strip mall that also has a place where I can buy a new phone and hook it to my account," she said a little wryly. "So I can do that while the clothes are washing, and then figure out all the settings while waiting for them to dry."

He nodded a little, seemingly amused.

"A pragmatic choice then."

"I make those. Sometimes," and she grinned in a self-depreciating manner. "It's also somewhat cheaper, which is much appreciated."

The time of day meant it was fairly quiet, and plenty of machines were free. After carefully checking to make sure her usual way of washing wasn't going to damage the clothes he'd loaned her, she set it up, then they headed next door to promptly buy a new phone—and have an awkward conversation with the person behind the counter, who seemed resigned about seeing her. It was definitely not a good thing when the phone providers knew who she was without having to look up her account.

"Do you _really_ break phones that often?" he asked as they left, his tone lightly teasing.

"Well, if I leave them at home, no, but usually every time I do _that_ , I actually need it," she shook her head, tossing her hands up in the air slightly. "I miss the old brick phones. These smartphones are cool and all, but they break so _easily_. And I never really get the chance to play with one before it ends up crunched... I need like... a barrier case of some sort, but I haven't figured out how to make that work..."

"Sounds like an interesting proposition," he said, head cocking slightly.

"Something to think about later," she replied. "These things get new features practically every time I have to buy a new one, so I need to play around with it for a bit first... And manually set up my contacts list. Again."

She sighed a little, then glanced up at him after a moment as they picked some chairs to sit in while the laundry finished washing.

"Hey. What's your number?"

He smiled a little, and gave it to her. And once she figured out the camera settings, he agreed to a picture as well, which she couldn't help but smile about. She gave hers in return, and even manged to sit still for a picture, though she did warn him that it was not her most favorite thing in the world. She never had liked getting her picture taken...

As they fell silent, just sort of... enjoying each others company without words, Kimiko found herself smiling. Maybe her master really _had_ been right about her just over-thinking things; this wasn't anywhere near as hard as she'd thought it was going to be.

After the laundry was completed, and he had his clothes back in hand, she made a quick stop by her apartment again to drop off her clothes and pick up her backpack before showing him to where she usually had her after-work clean up.

"So, I suppose I'll see you around?" she said after a minute, shifting a little uncertainly on her feet.

"Yes," he agreed. "Hopefully not just passing by, either."

She had the grin at that.

"Okay. We'll hang out again at some point. And really, thank you. I owe you."

"No," he shook his head a little. "I was glad of the opportunity to help. And the chance to meet you."

She wanted to protest that really, she _did_ owe him, but something about his expression suggested that he wasn't even going to consider it. It was a perplexing way to feel, but also... well... _nice_. If he meant it, then she wouldn't have to worry about him calling for a favor she couldn't give. Though, after spending this much time with him, she was fairly sure he'd never do something like that. A gut instinct, and her master had always told her to trust those.

"Well... all right. Be seeing you."

He smiled, nodded, and headed off. She watched him go for several long minutes, feeling sad, but also... more content than usual. After a moment she sighed, then headed into the bathhouse to get cleaned up.


	4. Three

Three

Kimiko had barely managed to clock in the next morning before she was cornered by Botan. Since her blue-haired manager was radiating glee and delight, she assumed she wasn't in any sort of trouble for her call in.

"Kimiko, dear, you'll never guess!" Botan said, grinning widely.

"Well, no," Kimiko agreed. "I hate guessing games. What's up?"

"We've got the funds to renovate!"

"Wait, what?" she blinked. "Like... we're actually going to knock down that wall like you've been wanting and expand the shop?"

"Yes!" Botan cheered. "Koenma-sama finally agreed that we have enough in the accounts to make sure everyone gets paid for time off, and we can expand into next door! Of course," and she sobered quickly, "this means we're going to be closed for two months, and we're going to have to hurry with the packing, since he wants to have it all put away before August starts."

"Hah! That _is_ timing!" Kimiko laughed a little. "So, I'm guessing we're going to be spending the next couple of weeks packing up?"

"Yes indeed! But we're going to be open to the end of _this_ week."

"So... two weeks to pack up and clean out, and then a month of vacation, followed by two more weeks to unpack and set up again?"

"Precisely. Are you up for it?"

Kimiko grinned.

"Yeah. I bet Yukina-chan will be excited too. This is pretty excellent, actually, I was going to put in for time off so I could go see Master Genkai for some long-term training again."

"Oh?"

"Last demon I took on almost handed me my ass," she sighed.

"Ah, the reason you weren't in yesterday? I'm glad you're looking well, by the way, I was very worried."

"Sorry about that, and yeah." Kimiko grimaced a little. "I over-estimated my abilities, and under-estimated his. So, I figured I'd go see her, let her scold me for being careless, and then get in some training while also visiting friends."

"That sounds wonderful," Botan smiled a little as they set about opening the shop for business. "Koenma-sama said he was going to find a nice private beach somewhere, and I'm looking forward to just being able to laze around for a little bit myself."

"You should tell him that he works you too hard," Kimiko replied with a grin.

"Well, I _do_ enjoy working. But this break will be very nice. Now, I think I spy our first customers, so let's get started with the day!"

* * *

"So you're going to be more busy than you thought?" Shuuichi surmised after Kimiko had finished telling him about the excitement of the day.

She nodded from her spot on the bench in the greenhouse, a wide grin on her face. It had surprised him a little, how quickly she'd taken him up on the offer to drop in at any time, but it wasn't so bad having her in the greenhouse with him. In truth, he rather liked it. And of course, she was so excited she was practically throwing off energy, which he could sense his plants enjoying as well.

"Pretty much. We're going to take _massive_ inventory while we pack up over the next two weeks, and then we get the fun of dismantling and storing all the cabinets and shelves, which is bound to take _ages_ , even with Yukina-chan and the other four workers helping out. But then it's a month of paid vacation for everyone! And then, of course, crunch time with two weeks to get everything ready for re-opening, but that shouldn't be half as complicated."

He chuckled a little, pleased by her obvious enthusiasm.

"What will you do with your free month?"

"Go visit Master Genkai. I might drag Yukina-chan along too; there's a lot of land attached to the compound, and if we head west far enough there's an awesome little private cover," Kimiko grinned. "She told me once that she's never seen the ocean, not really, so I'd like to show it to her. Plus, once I'm there, I can let everyone else know, and they'll drop in at random times to visit too. So I'll get a vacation, combined with a reunion, _and_ I'll still get paid for it."

There was such an air of satisfaction rolling off her that he had to chuckle again, even as he swept the hose spray over a few of the hanging baskets.

"Sounds terribly eventful. But a good way to escape the city and the worst of the August heat," he commented.

"Yup. I was hoping to work it that way anyways. It's just lucky that it turned out this nice." She paused, and studied him for a moment. "Y'know, if you can get away, you should come up. It's a huge place, and there's plenty of friendlies around."

"Friendlies?"

"Well... friendly demons, I mean. It's funny to admit it, but I make friends better with demons than I ever have with other humans. Kazuma, Shizuru, and Keiko seem to be the only exceptions," and she shrugged lightly. "Like I said, Master Genkai has a _lot_ of land, so if need be, I send demons I think won't cause troubles to her. She trains them off and on too, or sets them tasks, but most of the time they just live on the lands around the compound, and drop in every now and again for a chat. Mind you, they're pretty much all the ones who can easily pass for humans. Jin is the only exception there. Him and his horn and silly ears..."

Shuuichi smile a little.

"For someone who claimed to not be very personable, you certainly seem to be capable of making friends."

She snorted, and lifted a hand to start ticking off points.

"Jin was lost and almost got his head rearranged by some Kyukonki assholes. I punted them back to the demon world, and had to play nurse for about a week before he was steady enough that I could get him on a train and up to my master. Chu spends most of his waking hours piss drunk, and I _almost_ kicked his ass back to the demon world, but..." she paused and looked vaguely annoyed, "flattery worked. Rinku was with him, and that was the other reason I let him off the hook, since the demons he half-killed were bullying the kid. Toya came looking for Jin, and I had to beat his ass down to make him _listen_ to me... That wasn't a fun fight."

She absently rubbed her upper left arm, a place he recalled had a scar running longwise from armpit to elbow.

"Suzuki and Shishiwakamaru were just plain _weird_ , and I still don't really know why they stayed, but they're amusing sometimes. Suzu's _completely_ obsessed with beauty, and he's actually really good at crafting items that channel energy. He made the mistake of mouthing off to Master Genkai precisely once. _That_ was funny. Shishi's just an ass, but he's pretty enough to be part of a boyband... And he is, I admit, not terrible with a sword."

She shook her head slightly in mock disgust.

"I swear, sometimes I feel more like my brother than me... fighting was always how he made friends too."

Shuuichi chuckled, and joined her on the bench after hanging up the hose.

"Well, there is a purity to it," he said comfortingly. "And it sounds like you've made some loyal ones. I've heard rumors of Jin the wind master and Toya the ice master... they were part of the shinobi, yes?"

"Mmhm. Jin decided he wanted to live a better life than what he had. Poor guy. He was pretty messed up there for a while. Toya was irritated that he left without a word, and since the last person to see Jin was _me_ ," Kimiko shrugged a little, then made an annoyed face. "His ice blade was a mean trick, that took me two weeks to heal up from. And of course Master Genkai said it served me right for being sloppy. Doing everything one handed was _annoying_."

Shuuichi stifled a smile, though he was fairly sure the amusement was palpable. Sure enough, she slanted him a look a few seconds later then sighed in a clearly dramatic way.

"In any case, while I don't necessarily always enjoy spending time with them, they're a good strong group of friends. Still completely separate from my brother and the others, but..." after a moment she shrugged, looking a little bit unhappy. "I never could figure out the best way to explain that. So when Yuu's around, they tend to play least in sight. I feel bad about that, really; Yuu would probably like all of them."

"You'll tell him one day," he said, lightly patting her shoulder. "When you're ready to."

"Heh. Thanks. Anyways, you've been listening to _me_ natter on like a twit for the past half hour, how's _your_ day gone?"

She was embarrassed, he decided after a moment of study. Which was... cute. So he smiled a little, and obligingly filled her in on his very normal day. She laughed a little at some of his customer stories, though he suspected she was feeling a modicum of empathy for the young women who seemed to constantly seek his attention.

"Have any of them ever tried to corner you on your off-hours?" she asked, proving him correct after her snickering had ceased.

"I suspect some have, but Kokoda is very good at blocking them from coming back to the greenhouse, since it's not generally open to customers. There are some plants in here that would not react well to unexpected intrusions, either. And I find that once out of the shop, most that are similar in age becoming alarmingly shy," He smiled a little at her, implying a tease without saying anything, and hoped she'd get it.

She stuck her tongue out at him, then laughed.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say I'm _forthcoming_ , but I'm not precisely shy either," she said wryly, just lightly swatting him on the arm. "Yuu's much worse, though. Yuu, and Kaz are just..."

Kimiko shook her head, grinning a little.

"You'd have to meet them to understand."

"Perhaps one day I shall," he said.

"If you're mad enough to keep letting me hang around, it's probably a given and-" she paused and checked her watch, "Ah crap. Sorry Shuuichi, I have to scat. I'm going to have to run to make it."

"Something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing like that," she said, bouncing to her feet. "There's a sale on one of my favorites at the market, but if I don't scamper, they're going to close, and I will not get my excellent treats!"

He chuckled a little, and got up as well.

"Wouldn't want that," he said in amusement.

"Nope! See you!"

And she was out the door and gone.

Shuuichi sighed a little, but the smile remained, taking on a fondness that somewhat surprised him when he realized. After a moment he shook his head a little, decided to think about that later, and left as well; he had to grab a few things from the market so that he could make tempura for supper.

* * *

Kazuma Kuwabara, Kimiko was forcefully reminded, was _entirely_ too tall for his own damn good. He still wore his curly orange hair in that ridiculous pompadour, and even if she had to admit that it suited him, it still felt strange to have a friend come into her place of work.

"Hey Kimiko!" he greeted her, grinning. "Long time no see."

"Hello to you too, Kaz," she said, grinning back. "Are you _ever_ going to stop growing?"

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault I got the super-height genes from my old man," he protested.

"Wait, okay _I_ was being sarcastic, don't tell me you're still growing," she said, one eyebrow raising in mocking disbelief.

"Only a few centimeters a year..."

"...good grief. Anyways, I'm guessing you're here for the books?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Shizuru says I should talk to Genkai about it though."

"Well, Master Genkai would certainly be more able to help you actually channel that energy into a useable form," Kimiko said wryly, pleased that Shizuru had intervened. "You can't even do an energy blast like Yuu can."

"Aww, he just shows off," Kazuma protested, idly looking around the shop curiously. "What's with the gaping holes in the shelves? You guys're usually more put together."

"Oh, after tomorrow, we're closing for two months to renovate," she replied. "I'm going up to Master Genkai's for August, so if you guys want to comeup, we can all beat the crap out of each other like we used too-Hey, Yukina-chan?"

"Yes, Kimiko-san?"

"Did Botan-san move the bundle of books I had for Kazuma? They're not under the counter any more."

"Oh!" Yukina poked her head out of the back. "I forgot; yes, they're back here! She wanted to make sure they wouldn't get mixed up with the things we were putting away..."

Kimiko heard Kazuma's intake of breath, and managed to grab his jacket before he could do more than take a step forward.

" _After_ work, I will introduce you to Yukina-chan," she said. "Not before."

"She's so... dainty..."

"Kazuma. Turn your libido off for a second and focus, okay? You are not allowed to go moony over a co-worker while we're on the job. That's _rude_."

"Oh," he blushed. "Right. Sorry, Kimiko..."

"Good. Now, hang on a sec, I'll get your books, and you can check out."

She ducked quickly into the back, and lightly patted Yukina's shoulder.

"You're sure you're okay with actually meeting him?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

"I'm sure," and Yukina smiled. "His energy seems very gentle and kind, I'm sure he wouldn't hurt anyone without a very good reason. And you've said he likes cats, and is very inclined to protecting others."

"Well, that's all true," Kimiko sighed a little. "I just don't want you to feel pushed into this, is all. Kaz is a bit of a goober-brain..."

"It'll be fine, Kimiko-san," Yukina said reassuringly. "Did you invite your friend?"

"Ah..." Kimiko blinked. "Shit. I completely forgot. I'll call him on break, though given the late notice, it'll probably be a no. But we'll go out regardless, as friends!"

Yukina giggled a little, and handed her the books Kazuma had ordered, and Kimiko went out front to check out her old friend.

"So... after work?"

"Mmhm. There's a small, local festival going on right now. I figured the three of us... maybe four, I kind of spaced on asking someone, could wander around it for a couple hours for fun. Yukina-chan's still relatively new to the area, so I was planning on taking her anyways. You just make a nice bonus."

And she grinned at him. Kazuma looked like he was torn between puffing up in pleasure, and blushing from embarrassment. The juxtaposition had her snickering as she handed him his change.

"There's the park not too far in that direction," and she pointed slightly as she walked him to the door. "We'll meet you there at seven, okay? Give you a chance to relax with those books and all."

"Thanks Kimiko," he said, and this time there was a grin on his face. "So, who're you gonna ask? Another pretty girl?"

She lightly kicked him.

"None of your business yet. They might not even be coming, so either you'll see when we meet you, or you won't. Enjoy the books!"

* * *

"I think it'll be exciting! I didn't know there was a festival so close!" Yukina said looking a little gleefully up at Kimiko as they left the shop.

"It's sort of a silly local thing; I had no idea it even existed until Botan-san told me a couple weeks ago," and Kimiko shrugged a little. "I thought it'd be fun; I'm glad you're so willing to join in."

"I have been trying to get out more, but it's a bit dangerous for someone like me to walk around alone," Yukina sighed a little, then perked up. "But with you and Kazuma-san, I'm sure I'll be perfectly safe!"

"Oh lord, don't tell _him_ that," Kimiko rolled her eyes in tolerant humor. "He's got this ridiculous code of honor and stuff, and he'll go all noble-minded on you. He will _legitimately_ try to pound anyone who even so much as looks at you funny."

"Oh my..."

"Yeah. Kaz's is sweet, but also a bit old-fashioned. So... try and ignore him when he says weird shit, okay?"

"Well, but if he means no harm..."

Kimiko sighed, then half-smiled wryly.

"No harm to _you_ , but he's more than strong enough to damage anyone else," she pointed out. "This is supposed to be a fun outing, not a brawl in the making."

"Oh, did you talk to your friend?"

Kimiko hesitated, then sighed.

"Yeah, but... I don't think he's actually going to make it," she admitted. "Apparently someone knocked into a shelf a couple hours ago, and they were still cleaning up. He said he'd try, but it's probably not going to happen."

It was a little disheartening, really. Almost funny to realize how much she'd been hoping he would come so she wouldn't feel like the third wheel again. She knew it wouldn't be on purpose, but when Kazuma fixated, well...

"Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe we'll meet later, then."

"Maybe," Kimiko agreed. "Ah, look, there's Kazuma! Hey _Kaz!_ "

The tall young man looked up from his book, than quickly jumped to his feet as they approached.

"Okay, proper introductions now. Yukina-chan, this is Kuwabara Kazuma. Kaz, this is Yukina-chan."

"Yukina... that's a pretty name," Kazuma said with a shy grin that Kimiko hadn't seen on his face since he'd first had a girlfriend in high school. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Kazuma-san," Yukina said, smiling brightly.

Kimiko watched with thinly veiled amusement; Shizuru was going to laugh herself sick when she heard about this. The Kuwabara family charm was definitely being turned on, and _hilariously_ , Yukina seemed entirely unaffected.

"Okay, come on. Both Yukina-chan and I have to work tomorrow, Kaz, so we can't stay too long, but let's go ans see what there is!"

* * *

Fixing new shelves would simply take too long; he was already considered late, even though he had told her that he might not make it at all. Shuuichi frowned a little at the time displayed on his phone, and considered his options before decided he was going to have to rush if he hoped to find her before they left the nearby park. Once they got to the festival, it would undoubtedly be like locating a needle in a haystack, without the benefit of a magnet.

Then again, she had suggested her friend Kazuma was a good deal taller than the average man, so perhaps that could work...

He shook his head slightly and hurried to change. He was already late enough.

* * *

The festival was as noisy and crowded as Kimiko had expected it to be, but at least they weren't the only ones in modern clothes as opposed to traditional summer yukata. She smiled faintly as she watched Kazuma win stuffed toys for Yukina when she expressed delight at their cuteness, just quietly letting herself fade into the background the way she often had with her brother and his friends. Mostly, she was there just to watch and make sure Kazuma didn't do anything _too_ stupid... but then, with Shizuru as his older sibling, he was well-taught in how to behave around women.

It made her feel a bit more lonely, however. She had initially planned this to be just the two of them, herself and Yukina, enjoying an activity that neither had been to before—at least, not here. Still, she could hardly deny Kazuma's crush-at-first-sight. This was... fine.

"Kimiko-san, there you are!"

She jumped, and half-turned in surprise. Her eyes went wide as he stopped beside her, smiling faintly, and breathing a bit heavily... as though he'd been running. To find her?

"I apologize for being late," he said. "The mess was larger than Kokoda and I initially thought. It's a good thing your friend over there is so very tall; I wouldn't have found you otherwise."

Reflexively she glanced over at Kazuma, who was playing a shooting game to win yet another fluffy toy for Yukina, then back up at Shuuichi, still a bit on the startled side.

"What're you doing here?" she asked, not able to keep the stunned tone from her voice.

"You asked me to come," he said simply. "So I did."

"But..."

The idea bewildered her. Just because she'd asked, he'd come? For _her_? That was not something she had experience with. Lightly, he touched her shoulder, and she could read concern in his emerald-green eyes.

"Are you all right?"

"Ah! Yes, yes, I'm sorry, Ah..." She flushed, and rubbed the back of her neck, somewhere between pleased and confused. After a moment she managed a sheepish smile. "Anyways, I'm glad you could catch up! C'mon, I'll introduce you."

* * *

Shuuichi was not surprised to find that Kimiko was correct; he rather _did_ like Kazuma. It was hard to deny the enthusiasm of the other man, at any rate. He was also pleased to finally meet the mysterious missing sister of his old, former friend, and even spared a fleeting moment to wonder where Hiei could be.

But he found most of his attention quickly focused on Kimiko. Kazuma, he realized quickly, became single-minded in proving himself towards Yukina, something that he saw Kimiko roll her eyes at, but without any sense of maliciousness. If anything, it was resigned humor... and a touch of loneliness.

If he was guessing right, it explained the withdrawn way she'd been holding herself when he'd finally come upon them; as though she was only peripherally part of the trio, despite the whole affair being her idea in the first place.

He wasn't sure when he made the decision, but he ended up holding her hand. While the initial contact made her jump, and give him a startled look, she hadn't objected, or pulled away. And by the time they had been through the small festival—and he had taken the time to win one small prize for her, despite her insistence that he really didn't need to. He had been unable to resist the personal joke of giving her a small, red fox plushie—she had twined her fingers with his, and seemed to have completely forgotten that she was holding his hand at all.

"Hey, Kimiko, this poster says there's going to be fireworks too!" Kazuma called, pointing at the poster attached to a nearby pole.

"Maybe, but it's getting kind of late, Kaz... Don't you have a train to catch?"

"Aww, the last train's not for another couple of hours, you party-pooper," the redhead shot back with a grin. "What do you think Yukina-chan? You wanna see them too, right?"

"Well," she hesitated, glancing from Kimiko to Kazuma, then to Shuuichi. He nodded minutely, and after a moment she nodded more firmly. "I would, yes."

"Okay," Kimiko sighed a little, capitulating. "Let's find a good spot to watch them from, but after, we should probably call it a night, y'know?"

"You getting _old_ already?" Kazuma teased. "Like Genkai?"

"Hey, Genkai might be old, but she can still kick _your_ ass ten ways from Sunday, so shut up," Kimiko shot back, sticking her tongue out. " _We_ have a full day of work tomorrow, and then we're going to start packing the store, remember? I'd kind of like to get some sleep before then."

Kazuma stuck his tongue out in return, and Shuuichi stifled a chuckle, just lightly bumping Kimiko's arm with his own.

"The local show is short, Kimiko-san," he said reassuringly. "No more than half an hour. There should be plenty of time before the trains stop for the night."

"Hmmm," she said, her tone doubtful. "Well, it'll be his own fault if he misses the train, I suppose."

There wasn't a great deal of clear space to be found, honestly; they weren't the only group looking for a place to watch the rapidly approaching fireworks show from, and the crowd was rather crushing. Kazuma, by virtue of his size, managed to make it so that they weren't all jammed together like sardines in a can, but Shuuichi was still able to feel Kimiko's tension at the close proximity. She also seemed to be holding her stuffed fox rather tightly, and when he squeezed her hand in concern, she jumped.

"Kimiko-san, are you all right?" Yukina asked, also having noticed her friends' odd behavior.

Kimiko smiled, but it seemed... forced. It made his concern feel a bit sharper.

"Yeah. M'fine. Just a few too many people, is all."

"Kazuma-san, maybe we should look for a different spot?" the small ice maiden suggested after a speculative moment. "There's so many people here, getting a good view might be hard..."

The tall young man looked down at that point, as if realizing he was with friends who were significantly shorter than he was, and laughed a little in embarrassment.

"Oh right, I can't hoist anyone on my shoulders here. Okay! Um... let's go this way, and see if we can find a good spot?"

His size allowed him to make a path, and they kept in his wake, Shuuichi feeling Kimiko's tension easing as they moved out of the heart of the crowd.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked quietly.

"...Well, the sooner we get out of the crowd, the better," she replied in the same low tone. "But I'm fine, really. Nothing to worry about."

He wasn't so sure of that, but decided to let it pass, as she did seem to be relaxing. While they didn't find a perfectly uncrowded spot, there was more room to breathe around the edges, and they had a stroke of luck in finding a bench that fit the four of them. The timing was good; as they sat down, the first of the fireworks shot off into the sky. Yukina jumped about a foot, and Shuuichi saw Kimiko grinning at her friend as the brilliant colors sparked and crackled in the night sky.

* * *

"So, how do we want to do this?" Kimiko said as the show came to its end. "Yukina-chan, you want to walk Kaz to the station, or have us walk you home?"

"What do you mean 'walk me to the station'?" Kazuma asked, sounding rather put upon. _"I'm_ the one that's supposed to walk _you_ home."

She rolled her eyes in tolerant amusement.

"That's painfully old fashioned, Kaz, and also, it's up to Yukina, since she did only just meet you."

"Hey! Are you implying that I wouldn't be a gentleman?"

"Me?~" She flashed him an innocent look, that was ruined by a smirk. " _Never_."

"Man, you're lucky I don't fight girls, or you'd get it, Urameshi-chan,"

"That's a terrible excuse for losing every fight, Kuwabara," she shot back.

It was funny how quickly they could fall back into middle-school antics sometimes. For a moment, the tall young man was a still tall, but not as obnoxiously so teenager, and the area around them was one of the lots where street fights happened more often than not. Of course, it had usually been between Yusuke and Kazuma, but still.

"All right you two," Shuuichi said, his calm voice breaking the stalemate. "Perhaps instead of arguing about it, you allow Yukina the chance to answer?"

Kimiko blinked, then absently shifted the fox to under her other arm so that she could sheepishly rub at the back of her neck.

"Sorry, Yukina-chan..." she apologized.

"Yeah, me too,"Kazuma added, also looking fairly embarrassed.

"Well, I don't mind everyone walking me home," Yukina said cheerfully. "As long as it won't make you miss the train...?"

"Nah, I got time!" Kazuma replied, immediately perking back up.

As Yukina led the way, Kimiko had to stifle a wry smile; Kazuma, it seemed, would never change. But since the ice maiden didn't much seem to mind his overly boisterous nature, there was no point in trying to interfere. And, if she felt like being honest, it was nice to spend even a little more time with her friends.

The walk was short, though whether that was a good or bad thing, Kimiko couldn't say. Yukina seemed pleased with how the night had gone, however, so that was good, and after saying good bye, it was on to the station to drop off Kazuma.

"So, uh, are you guys dating, or something?" he asked as they approached the station.

Kimiko blinked. Looked up at Shuuichi, who also had a startled expression. Then back at Kazuma, one eyebrow raised.

"Noooo. Why?"

"Well, you guys have been holding hands for a while, and Yusuke's been wonderin what's up with you, so I told him I'd ask when I saw you."

Kimiko sighed, and freed her hand from Shuuichi's to pinch the bridge of her nose lightly. She was quite sure she wanted to clobber her brother _and_ her friend, but at least Kazuma had told her the truth.

"I swear... Okay, no, we're friends, Kazuma. I told you that already. Believe me, if I had a partner, I'd say as much, if only to make sure Yuu knows that he's not allowed to try and intimidate them," she said in overt exasperation. "Besides, he's got entirely too much going on in _his_ life to worry about what's going on in mine, which you are welcome to tell him I said that."

Kazuma snickered a little.

"Yeah right, like he actually listens to me. So, anyways, you're really goin to Genkai's in August?"

"Yes. Are you going to come up?"

"Maybe... will Yukina-chan be there?"

Now it was Kimiko's turn to snicker.

"Dunno. I'll ask tomorrow if she wants to come up for a couple of weeks, but she _is_ still pretty big on trying to find her long-lost brother."

She heard a faintly amused sound from Shuuichi, who had otherwise remained quiet. It made her slant him a sidelong look, mostly out of curiosity, but he was wearing that faintly amused smile of his, and she couldn't read anything else from his expression.

"She has a brother?"

"Apparently," Kimiko shrugged a little. "I do mean to ask her though. And if you tell Yuu to mind his own business, I'll even text you and let you know what she says about it."

"Deal!"

She grinned a little, good humor restored by how easy it was to distract him from uncomfortable lines of questioning. After seeing him off on the train, Kimiko fell in beside Shuuichi as they walked towards his shop and her apartment in comfortable silence.

"I had fun," she said after a moment, idly hugging the stuffed fox. "I'm glad you were able to make it."

"I am as well. It was an enjoyable way to spend an evening, especially after what happened at the shop." He paused briefly, then glanced down at her. "Are you claustrophobic, Kimiko-san?"

"Huh? Oh... no," she grimaced a little. "I'm in the habit of assessing every space as a fighting space. When I get hemmed in, I worry what will happen if a fight breaks out and I can't move freely. Especially when there's innocents around. Spread out crowds aren't as bad, but standing-room-only crowds tend to make me fidgety."

"Ah," and he nodded a little. "I see. That sounds like a sensible concern for someone in your line of work."

"Heh. Yeah. And ah, sorry about Kaz. Back there, I mean. If there's one trait him and Yuu share other than their love of fighting, it's an inability to filter. I hope it didn't put you on the spot or anything..."

"It was surprising," he admitted. "But not entirely an unexpected conclusion to draw. I _was_ holding your hand for quite a while."

Yes, and she could still feel it tingling. That had certainly been unexpected, but it had helped her feel less like she was watching alone, and she couldn't help but appreciate that he'd been that kind.

"But," he continued, smiling in amusement down at her, "as we have only known each other a short while, that sort of discussion should probably wait."

She made an undignified sound of surprise, which made him chuckle slightly. Pouting half-sincerely, she hugged the fox tightly to her chest and huffed.

" _Now_ you're just making fun of me,"she grumbled.

They came to a stop before the shop, and he lightly, briefly draped an arm around her shoulders in a light hug.

"Perhaps just a little," he said, amusement lighting up his eyes. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"...probably not," she admitted reluctantly. "I wasn't kidding about it being a full day of work, and then we start packing right after closing. Koenma-san and Botan-san both want us to be done within two weeks, so we're not really even getting a day off. On the bright side, we _are_ all getting paid extra, so it's not a total loss. But I don't know if I'll be out at any sensible time. I'll text you though, if I find out otherwise?"

Shuuichi nodded.

"All right. I hope tomorrow goes well for you."

Kimiko smiled a little.

"Thanks. And for you. See ya!"

And she trotted off for home.


	5. Four

Four

While it hadn't been ill-meant, Kazuma's question niggled at her for the next two weeks, making her feel either irritable, or vaguely sad in turns. While this wasn't so much a problem at the shop, since they were in the process of inventory, packing, and breakdown, it did put something of a damper on her visits to Shuuichi's greenhouse after. She tried hard to ignore the questions that it piled up; none of them were fair. She hadn't known him long enough for them to be even _slightly_ worth considering.

But damnitall, it was almost three in the morning, and she wasn't sleeping. Which was troubling, as she was supposed to be on the ten am train to get to Genkai's, and she wanted at least _some_ sleep before she subjected herself to her master's teachings again. Plus, if she arrived in a distracted state, Genkai would kick her ass without even trying.

Since lying in bed trying to ignore things hadn't worked—and she wasn't exhausted from hauling and moving, the day had been mostly the last little things, and a small celebratory party—that meant she had to confront it head on, and work through it. And she couldn't do that here.

With an irritated noise, she threw off her futon, setting the stuffed fox to one side of pillow—he had become her napping buddy, her adorable little Yoko—and padded to her small dresser to change into her training clothes.

She tucked her keys, wallet, phone, and a water bottle into a small backpack that also contained other miscellaneous useful items, and set off in the opposite direction of her usual running route; she wasn't running tonight, she was going to have to do katas to clear her mind and face the issue directly. There was a park nearby that she liked to use for such things; it was rather heavily forested, and at this time of night, should be utterly deserted, which would allow _her_ plenty of warning if someone decided to get curious.

The streets were quiet at this late—or early, depending on the frame of mind—hour, and she tried to not think about the sleep she was missing because her brain couldn't let go of one simple question. She ought to be used to Yusuke and Kazuma butting into her private life, really. One was her brother, and the other was a close friend, and to their eyes, she'd never shown even a remote interest in dating. They hadn't known the reasons behind that, and she had failed to enlighten them after her third failed attempt at explanations where they didn't take her seriously; at this point, her being single was almost a fact of life to all of them.

The park was, as she'd known it would be, completely empty save for some of the wildlife that she startled or passed by on her search for a decently sized clearing. Once she found it, she tossed her bag up into the high branches of a tree to keep it safe, then slowly centered herself, settling into the first stance. Slow, deep breaths helped with calming her body, and as she started to move, the reflexive discipline helped her to shape her thoughts.

The idea she was so uneasy about confronting was actually pretty simple. She liked Shuuichi. He made her feel happy, and warm, and relaxed. He was her friend, even after a few short hours, and she got the sense that he wasn't someone who made friends lightly. Just like her. He was kind to her, he teased her...

He was just fun, she decided after a moment, flowing into the next set of moves. But was Kazuma jumping the gun a little on the dating question? A week was hardly enough time to know that sort of thing, even if she _had_ been dropping by on a daily basis, just to chat for a little bit with someone she didn't have to really censor herself around. True, she could talk with Yukina and Botan as well, but somehow, Shuuichi was different.

That was the crux of it, then. He _was_ different. Different from her other friends in a way she didn't entirely understand. It wasn't fair, she decided after a moment, scowling a little, that she was having to go through at twenty-four what her other friends handled in their teens. How _did_ one realize someone was attractive, and for what reasons? How did a person decide if they wanted to be more than just friends? At what point was that okay? And if that choice _was_ made, how did they say such a thing to the other person, or people, they wanted to get closer too?

She sighed a little, and paused to run a hand over her face. Really, was life _supposed_ to be this complicated?

All right, so, Shuuichi was different. While she had met a number of men and women both in her time at the book shop, he was the first to intrigue her more after meeting him. He was not full of bluster, or pride. If anything, he spoke little, and seemed to genuinely enjoy letting her ramble on about whatever came to mind, even if it wasn't the first thing she'd started talking about. She hadn't even felt _awkward_ about this until Kazuma's dumb question, and she wanted to go back to not feeling awkward.

She slid into the next kata, speeding it up some. She was, she decided finally, not like her friend; Shuuichi had a fine control over the emotions he displayed, and he did his best to make her feel relaxed and at ease. She had much less control, and tended to say and display her mods without really thinking about the consequences of it. Much more like her brother in that regard, such honesty usually served her well enough.

Maybe if she delayed her trip by a day or so, and made the effort to speak seriously with him, she could find her way back to that contently relaxed feeling that she'd started with. She _missed_ that feeling.

Kimiko came to a stop again, feeling calmer, and more relaxed now that she had some idea of what to do. She'd call Genkai in a couple hours, and take either the late train, or one the following day, but she would rather clear the air with Shuuichi _now_ , so that she didn't dwell on what she hadn't done for the entire month.

Of course, that was the moment she sensed the energy of demons lurking within the trees. She turned her head slightly, to half-glance over her shoulder.

"What do you want?" she asked, her voice neutral.

From the shadows materialized a couple of men. Or rather, they had the appearances of men. Bulky, tall, and... her eyes narrowed slightly. Invisible to normal sight, what looked to be kyukonki horns. Great.

"One little girl, alone in the woods," one of them said.

"We're hungry, little girl," said the other.

"So go back to your own realm and eat something there," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not edible."

They stepped closer, and she shifted from cross-armed defiance to a ready stance that would allow her the chance to attack or defend as necessary.

"You _look_ edible."

She rolled her eyes slightly, shifting stances a little more and pulling her energy to form a pale lavender halo around her hands.

"I will beat the crap out of you and boot your asses back to demon world myself if you push your luck," she said coolly. "I'm not in the mood for bullshit tonight, so if you start this, I may well end it."

"Aww, the little girl thinks she has claws."

Kimiko sniffed.

"I _know_ I have claws. Are you going to go away, or get beaten and thrown back?"

* * *

Shuuichi ponder a little as he wandered silent streets; the summer air was not yet muggy, but that would change in the next week or so, making daytime difficult, and nighttime a pain. The currently cool air was welcome, and helped to clear his head some as he considered Kimiko's recent retraction in her attitude. A long, late night walk had seemed a pertinent solution for his concern, because if nothing else, it would wear him out.

It felt odd to realize that Kazuma's words had bothered Kimiko so much, but put into the context of what all she'd told him about her life, he could understand it. She was not someone who came to friendships easily, other demons aside. Anything more than a friendship was bound to throw her into confusion, and that was not helped much by the short amount of time in which that had come to grow so close. Perhaps if the question had come after a month or more, she wouldn't have been so hesitant towards the idea.

It was a bit disheartening to think that she would be leaving in the morning, but perhaps he _would_ find a way to clear a few days from his schedule to go see her and meet her master.

The sudden energy spike was full of lethal intent, and Shuuichi was braced for a fight before his conscious mind had a chance to react. Thrown so abruptly out of his musings, he looked around rapidly, seeking the energy's source. It was far too close to him for comfort, and...

He was near a park. Convenient if he needed more than his rose whip for defense. The energy seemed to be inside the park itself, and not aimed at him, but at someone else. It didn't take him very long to realize that it was Kimiko's energy clashing with at least two other opponents, and he hurried quickly in the direction of the fight, rose whip in hand just in case.

At the edge of the clearing he stopped to assess the situation, and found something far different from what he was expecting; one of the kyukoni was down—not unconscious, but definitely flat on his back and in pain—while Kimiko waited with wary patience for the other one to come at her again. The second kyukoni had plainly seen better days; his face was bleeding, and there were discolored spots on his arms. Knowing what he did about the demons, it made him wonder just how had she was capable of hitting.

Not that Kimiko was unscathed; one of the sleeves of her jacket was torn and her arm was clearly bleeding. Her posture indicated that she had taken at least one solid hit to the torso as well, and he wondered if she was really as ready to fight as she seemed to think.

"Are we done?" she asked, her tone betraying her impatience. "I have a phone call to make, and maybe a nap to catch."

"No," the kyukonki sneered. "My next hit will-"

Kimiko's patience clearly, and abruptly, came to an end. She practically flew forward, hands glowing lavender as she attacked the kyukonki, her blows coming fast and hard. The demon staggered backwards under the assault, new bruising appearing at a rapid pace. When he tripped over his still-downed comrade, she... helped him fall. With an energy blast to the face.

As the demon collapsed over his partner, she jumped back, settling into a wary stance as she panted for breath. Shuuichi allowed himself to be silently stunned; she had said she was trained by Master Genkai, and had been training for ten years, but he had _not_ entirely expected skills like these.

"Ready to call it a night, you pains in the ass?"

The first demon flipped her off, and Shuuichi saw a sharp grin cross over her face.

"Not an answer," she sing-singed, and let loose a small energy blast that landed near the demon's head. "Agree to leave now, and I'll even find you a gate to get home. Annoy me further, and I will kill you."

Merciful to a point, he realized, and she was almost entirely out of patience. Possibly more merciful than they deserved; kyukonki were known for their brutality, and their lust for their favorite food, human souls. As the two demons rolled to their feet, he tensed a little, his eyes flicking back and forth between the combatants. If this kept up, she was going to get more hurt than she already was. But if he jumped in, she might take offense to that.

Reluctantly, he decided to continue observing, and only step in if it looked like she was going to be killed.

As the two demons charged, he saw her huff out a sigh, and abruptly the power level coming from her spiked. No longer did she feel like a lower-level demon hunter, and the increased lavender glow around her hands indicated that she had released some inner stopper on her power. She had been holding back, he realized. But why?

He watched in silent awe as Kimiko simply took the two kyukonki apart. They couldn't even touch her, and instead ended up hitting each other a few times. The final lethality shots were abrupt cracks as she found necessary openings, and snapped their necks.

Both demons dropped like stones as she came to a halt, panting for breath. Shuuichi waited silently for the power to dampen back down, and found himself feeling uneasy when it didn't.

"You can stop hiding now," she said, her tone flat and annoyed. "I don't appreciate being spied on."

He winced a little, and quickly stepped out into the clearing, she turned, and he could see she was braced for a fight until she spotted him. Her eyes went wide in surprise, and the lavender light faded away, power dampening noticeably back down to where he'd initially thought she was.

"Shuuichi? What're you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk," he admitted, turning the rose back into a seed and returning it to his hair. "I felt the clash of energy, and thought it was too close to ignore, so I investigated. That was...impressive."

Without the help of the light from her energy, her expression was harder to read, even with his abnormally sharp senses. But he thought he saw uncertainty and guilt cross her face before she managed to smile a little. The forced nature of it made him wince internally; whatever she might have accepted about this life, it was plain that it still did not sit well on her shoulder, no matter how much time she'd had to get used to it.

"Ten years of training," she said, her tone somewhere between wry and pained. "I don't like upping the ante unless I have to, but they weren't giving me any other choice. Now I just need to find a gate to dump them through before any cops or civilians find them..."

"You also need to tend your injuries," he said, letting his concern for her flavor his words. "Your arm, especially, since passing out from loss of blood would be counterproductive."

She blinked. Looked down at her arm.

"...damnit, that's going to need replacing..."

He couldn't help but smile as he approached her.

"I might not be able to help with that, but I can tend your injuries, if you'll let me."

"What, first?" she asked, clearly startled.

"You'll only make them worse if you try to move the bodies as you are," he pointed out. "And you're supposed to be on a train in a few hours to go visit your master."

She sighed a little, then carefully stripped off the windbreaker she'd been wearing, revealing the sweat-dampened tanktop beneath, and the full extent of the gash on her arm.

"You carry first aid stuff with you everywhere?" she asked, her tone curious now.

"No, but as I am skilled with plants, I can easily and quickly make up what I need."

"Huh. Handy. But still," and she pointed upwards. "My backpack has basic first aid stuff in it. I threw it up there when I came, to keep it out of the way. Might be easier than using your energy to cobble something together."

There was an odd tone in her voice, and he tried to study her face in the diffuse shadows. She was uncomfortable, uneasy, and he wasn't sure why. In an effort to placate her, he obligingly found her backpack and got it down, easily making the jump with little effort. She was wavering slightly, despite his speed, and he carefully eased her into sitting.

Not only did she have a first aid kit in the backpack, but he found a small lamp as well, which he quickly turned on to better see both her face and her wounds.

"It will sting," he warned her, opening one of the antiseptic wipes.

"No doubt, but gods only know what those things have on their claws," and she made a face. "I'll take the sting over an infection."

He smiled a little, nodded, and started to tend to her injuries.

* * *

Kimiko hadn't been able to figure out the third energy until she'd seen Shuuichi step out from the shadows, a green, thorny-looking whip coiled in one hand. Part of her wanted to be insulted that he'd come looking to defend, but common sense halted that thought quickly; he'd watched. He'd _let her_ handle the fight, even knowing she was injured.

That felt... good, actually. Strange to realize it, but also nice that he thought she could take care of herself.

And, if she was being logical, letting someone else tend her injuries was a lot easier than doing it herself. The arm injury was an awkward angle that would have left her swearing and fighting for a good twenty minutes at best, but Shuuichi had it cleaned and bandaged in less than five. Her ribs were knitting on their own,and really, there wasn't much that could be done for them anyways.

It also felt nice that he hadn't tried to push her on what she'd said about her backpack, and the bandages. Battle high was a pain to come down from, though, and she tended to be wary and untrusting for a good hour until it wore off.

Of course, once it did, she was going to feel _everything_.

Kimiko sighed a little, and eyed the two kyukonki bodies. She didn't like kyukonki just on principle; they were vicious bullies, who had this thing about intimidation, and _especially_ liked attacking small children. But she hated killing too, and she knew the sound of snapping vertebrae would echo in her dreams for the next few weeks at best.

"I have a more... elegant solution," Shuuichi said after a moment, making her jump a little.

"More elegant than finding a portal?" she asked, turning to glance at him curiously.

"And less draining," he said with a faint smile, handing her the lamp. "Persuming you don't protest?"

She thought about it for a minute, then shrugged her good arm.

"As long as no one comes across the bodies..."

He nodded a little, and knelt on the ground, one palm against the grass and other detritus of the clearing. Kimiko watched curiously, even as he absently put her other arm around her aching ribs; the fact that she was starting to feel them meant that she was finally coming down from the fight. Not necessarily a good thing on her own, but with Shuuichi here to help...

She started as the grass around the two bodies abruptly grew about three feet taller, hiding them from view. Under her feet, she felt earth shifting in subtle increments, and she caught herself staring at Shuuichi's back; his energy was a faint green halo, almost eclipsed by the brighter light of the lantern, and she could trace that energy to the earth and grass beyond.

"Son of a bitch," she breathed.

It was low enough that she initially didn't think he'd heard, but when he finished, and straightened, there was a certain amount of satisfaction and pride in his posture. His expression, when he walked back to her, was also amused. Of the demons, once the grass returned to normal, there was no sign.

"What'd you _do?_ " she asked, staring up at him.

"Buried them," he said with a hint of pride in his voice. "In a way that no one will be able to detect."

"Dude..."

He chuckled a little, lightly slinging her backpack over one shoulder, and offering her his hand.

"It's probably best if you get home soon," he continued. "You look like you're ready to fall over, and no doubt some rest will improve your temperament."

"That's a fancy way of saying you think I'm being crabby," she said, mock-pouting at him.

"It would be rude to point that out," he replied, his voice smooth and soothing. "Sleep and your accelerated healing abilities will help you with the pain, and that will, in turn, have a more positive effect on your mood. Yes?"

She couldn't quite help the brief scowl as she turned on her heel and started walking out of the clearing, making for one of the park paths that would take them back to the street. He fell in comfortably beside her, it seemed, though he kept a polite amount of distance between them. She appreciated it silently; for all she had just finished resolving the fact that she _needed_ to talk to him, right now was definitely not the right moment. She was tired, and now everything hurt, and given that she was not as eloquent as he was with words, that would only make attempting the conversation worse.

So she stayed silent for most of the walk back to her apartment.

"Will you be able to make the train in a few hours?" he asked once they reached the entry stairs.

"...Probably not, but..." Kimiko hesitated. "Well, I was planning on taking a later train anyways. I... We need to talk, I think. But not right now. Is it okay if I come by this afternoon?"

She felt, to her extreme annoyance, shy about asking the question. Shy about looking up into his face, just in case there was rejection there instead of acceptance. Shy about standing so close, even knowing that he'd helped to treat her injuries, and she at least owed him some sort of courtesy.

After a moment, he handed her backpack to her, and she accepted it reflexively.

"As always, I will wait for you in the greenhouse," and his warm voice made her glance up to see the fond smile. "Good night then, Kimiko-san."

"...night, Shuuichi."

She waited until he was out of sight before she let out a slow sigh of relief, then headed up the stairs to her apartment. She would read for an hour, then call her master, and explain the change in plans. After that... well, a nap would definitely be the best way to heal up.


	6. Five

Five

Kimiko yawned a little as she made her way to the flower shop, scrubbing some at her eyes. She was still tired from the fight, and staying up even longer to contact Master Genkai had done her no favors. Fortunately the few hours of sleep she _had_ managed to grab had helped with the injuries sustained from fighting the kyukonki; her ribs only twinged slightly if she turned too fast, and her arm didn't even ache. She had left the bandage there anyways, knowing all too well how fragile newly healed skin was; she had enough scars on her body, she had no desire to add more.

Her master, when she'd heard the reason, had laughed at her. Naturally. Kimiko made a slight face at the memory; she loved her master, and respected the hell out of the old woman, but there were also days where she kind of wanted to punt her through a wall...

Still, she'd needed to update Genkai on why she was going to be a day late, so putting up with the early morning sarcasm had been... well, _sort of_ worth it. Better than the scolding for not saying anything at all, anyways.

The shop was busy as always, though it as less packed at this time, when Shuuichi wasn't in the shop. She could see his step-brother, Kokoda, standing by the till while two of the part-timers helped with choosing flowers, making bouquets and vases, and addressing customer questions. He spotted her, and lifted a hand slightly; Kimiko couldn't really help but smile and nod back, pleased somewhat by the acknowledgment.

Then she took a deep breath and went through the alleyway to the greenhouse behind the shop. She could see Shuuichi's brilliantly red hair from outside, and guessed from his motions that he was watering the hanging baskets. Fiercely pushing down the nervous feeling, she tapped lightly on the greenhouse door, then pushed it open.

He looked over and smiled warmly at her, and she felt her heart briefly drop down to her toes, then bounce back up into her throat. If this was love, or even just a crush as it well could be, it was a heavily discomforting feeling, and she wasn't at all sure she liked it. Still, she closed the door behind her, and sat on the bench that had somehow become her usual seat, just watching as he watered.

There was a soothing feeling in the air that she picked up on unconsciously, and her body relaxed bit by bit. It was funny, how these silences almost never felt uncomfortable, even if she felt awkward herself.

"...I don't have many friends," she said abruptly as he moved to water the low shrubs. "Or any experience with... whatever comes beyond friendship. Just so you know."

"Your friend Kazuma's words bothered you then?"

She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose lightly.

"Yeah. Kaz and Yuu both have a bad habit of trying to interfere in my personal life. Any guy I talk to is a potential boyfriend to them, and..." she shook her head a little helplessly. "It's complicated. And kind of stupid, I suppose, but..."

He shut off the water, coiled the hose, and came to sit next to her. He was close enough to feel subtle body heat, even with the current muggy air from the hot summer day and the water he'd just been using. But at the same time, he was not so close as to make her feel crowded.

"It's all right to be uncertain," he said gently. "We haven't known one another that long, and are still only just feeling out the friendship aspect of it, never mind if there might be potential for more."

Relief swept through her; _he understood_. Kimiko nodded, feeling the awkwardness falling away. She hadn't even thought to hope that he might understand her point of view; in hindsight, a silly thing, since he was amazingly observant.

"I feel comfortable around you," she said after a minute, offering up a half-smile. "I'd like to keep being your friend for a while long though, before... well, just to see."

"I am glad you _are_ my friend," he countered with a smile of his own. "I would hate to be on the receiving end of that energy blast of yours."

Just like that, it was back to easy camaraderie, as though the awkwardness had never existed at all. She stuck her tongue out at him, mostly to try and hide the giddy, giggly feeling she now carried.

"Unless you suddenly decided to go violent and attack people, I would never," she huffed, mock-insulted. "I don't even really like pulling that attack out if I can avoid it... Using the minimal amount of force to change opinions is about how I prefer to work."

"I assume your maximum is what you used when you went up against the human hunter?"

She nodded.

"Master Genkai says I have the potential to be even stronger, but I'm not ready for it yet," she sighed a little, then shrugged. "I suppose it's not that big of a deal, but in some cases, I wouldn't mind showing an overwhelming amount of lethal energy in an intimidation bluff over having to pull out the stops and fight to the death."

"Sometimes the intimidation-"

"I know, I know, that's what my master says too," and she couldn't help the dry grin. "But really. It'd be nice if I could figure out some way to just... _not_ , some days. Y'know? Sometimes..."

Kimiko went quiet, then leaned back a little on the bench and looked at the greenery instead of her friend.

"Sometimes I just don't think I'm cut out for this, and it should have been Yuu doing all the fighting. He'd've _loved_ it. Him and Kaz would've had a ball, really..."

Shuuichi slid closer until his arm was lightly pressed against hers. Kimiko hesitated briefly, then leaned against him almost gingerly; the offered comfort was appreciated, but it bordered on acceptable friend behavior. At least, it did in her mind.

"Why do _you_ do it?" he asked gently.

"Because... someone has to. And I know there's lots of other someones, but I'm here, and I have the ability. Doing nothing is just like... condoning what's going on. I... can't do that. I mean, some days I wish I _could_ , but it's not _right_. Especially when it comes to demons like kyukonki, or the ones that don't really care about human survival..." She sighed again. "I'm just whining, sorry... it's silly of me."

"It's a stressful duty," he corrected gently. "And you seem to need a more thorough support system than you currently have. Have you ever spoken to anyone else about this?"

"...Master Genkai, sometimes. But... I guess no one else. I don't want to worry Botan-san, or Yukina-chan."

"And your humans friends have no idea."

She shook her head, then paused.

"Well, Shizuru might. She's Kazuma's older sister, and she's got a wicked-strong sixth sense like he does. But.. I've never really talked about things in detail. It just... it didn't seem worth the effort after a bit." Absently she shifted a bit to lean more thoroughly against him; muggy or not, it was... nice. "I... I guess I was scared, actually. For once, I was doing something my brother wasn't. It's not too often that it happened in school... someone had to make sure he was.. well..."

She trailed off. Pulled her knees up to her chest. She felt more than saw Shuuichi waiting for her to continue, and after gathering her thoughts for a moment, she did.

"Fighting is Yuu's gift. He's a natural at it. He's also always had this chip on his shoulder, something to prove to the world. Or maybe just to himself, I don't know. Even now that he's older and more settled, he's still a bit of an ass...

"Everyone tended to judge me by him. If Yuu was unruly, then, by designation as his twin, I was _also_ unruly. If Yuu was a troublemaker, so was I. It made most of the teachers dislike us, even though I really never once gave them reason too... and don't even get me started on the punk gangs that I had to deal with. They wanted to fight Yuu, and also me, because if Yuu could fight, by that simplistic logic..."

"So could you," Shuuichi finished.

Kimiko nodded.

"I learned how to fight just out of sheer self-preservation, but I was never anywhere what you could call _good_ at it until I was introduced to Master Genkai. She... well, other than the letters, she was the first person who didn't compare us. Not even after I introduced Yuu to her a year after I started my training. I might be Yusuke's sister, but he's never been... the yardstick she's measured me by." After a moment, she chuckled. "Actually, with her, it's been the other way around. His ability was measured by _mine_. But I don't think it ever really bothered him. He had no interest in trying to learn any of the energy stuff.. just fighting. That was the other reason I stopped trying to tell him; pure fighting is good, but with demons, sometimes getting in close is suicidal. Y'know?"

She glanced up at him, and Shuuichi nodded.

"Yes, that is very true. Energy blasts, or some form of long-range attack are much more effective with those sorts."

He really did understand. Kimiko felt a subtle ache in her chest loosening at the sympathetic look he was giving, and it translated into her body language. She no longer felt the need to be curled so defensively, and leaning against him felt more... calming than uncomfortable. She straightened after a moment anyways, and wiped a hand over her face. It came away damp with moisture, and she made a face.

"I know it's probably good for the plants, but I think I'm drowning," she said.

Shuuichi chuckled a little, lightly patting her shoulder.

"Well then, perhaps we should exit. Are you catching a later train?"

"No, I told Master Genkai I'd be on the early one tomorrow, to make up for missed sleep and all that. Why?"

"Would you like to join me in shopping for dinner, and then a meal?"

She blinked. Thought about it, then smiled as he opened the door and they were hit with a brief burst of fresh air.

"Sure. I'd like that."

* * *

Shuuichi watched her leave after their meal, a faint, fond smile on his face as she all but bounced away lightly, stopping every few feet to glance back at him until she was out of sight. Her entire aura was lighter now, and he knew full well that it was his doing. Kimiko did _not_ have many friends she could talk to, and by allowing himself in that position, he had the sense that he had gained a very loyal, very dangerous to others sort of friend.

And he liked the thought. He would not take the friendship too far, not without her indication, but even that friendship was bound to be beneficial to them both. While comfortable in his solitude, Shuuichi had to admit, even just a little, that he'd been maybe a bit _too_ solitary. She was a breath of energy and fresh air... and he was enjoying that very much.

He went back up to his quiet apartment, feeling much more relaxed himself; the conversation during the meal had stayed away from the heavy, emotional talk, revolving more around what she intended to do at her master's place, and how to find it if he managed to get the time to come by. He was already planning for it in the third week of August, but he wanted to surprise her, just a little, so he'd kept the idea to himself.

She had surprised him as well, first in carrying half of the food necessary for their meal, and then helping him wash up. She'd been particularly insistent on helping, actually, and he wondered if the reason for that was more unresolved emotions, or simply because she helped her friends. After a moment, Shuuichi decided it didn't matter. What mattered was that she felt better.

Absently he fingered her spare apartment key that was tucked into his pocket. It was nice, he decided, that she trusted him enough to ask him to care for her plants while she was away. He would have to make sure they were well tended before he too went for a visit.

* * *

The morning train had been only slightly packed, and as it made its way out of the city, into the mountains, the crowds thinned noticeably. Kimiko found a comfortable window seat, slinging her duffel back into the seat next to her, and dropping her backpack on one of the ones across from her as a clear sign to people to give her space. Not that she was in a bad mood or anything; she was feeling content, cheerful even! She just didn't want to have to deal with efforts of small talk or potentially threatening the stubborn who refused to take 'bug off' for an answer.

Watching the scenery fly by outside the window, she caught herself smiling again as she considered the new state of things. She had a friend. Not just a friend to share light talk with, casual chatter, but a _friend_. One who not only knew she was called upon to hunt demons, but could be trusted to help her if she ever found herself in need of it. One should could just... _talk_ to.

The giddy feeling was strange... but also nice. She hoped he would come see her while she was at Genkai's. Her brother had already confirmed he'd be coming up for two weeks in the middle of the month, and no doubt Keiko would come with him. Probably Kazuma and Shizuru too, though she knew Kazuma was going to pester her for information about Yukina.

Kimiko's smile took on an impish edge; she hadn't told him that Yukina was coming up for three weeks, after taking care of some stuff in regards to the search for her brother. That would be a fun event to watch; they might even end up on the same train together. It was almost a pity she'd miss it. But then, getting a single week alone with Master Genkai, and the demons she considered friends, was going to be tough enough. While the other humans were there, she knew that pack of ruffians would play least-in-sight unless they felt like being trolls. Which had happened before...

In truth, outside of Jin, they could all easily pass for humans. And she really did think that the human friends wouldn't object too much to the demon friends... but demons who lived in the human realm to avoid trouble usually tried to avoid advertising their presence. Even the ones who lived on Genkai's grounds tended to keep to themselves.

After a moment she mentally shrugged. They'd meet eventually, of that she was certain. When was the question, but since she had no answer for it, other than mildly suggesting that it'd be fine for them to come around as they wanted, she pushed the thought away and let the scenery flashing by capture her attention.

It was several hours later when she made her way up the many steps to the grandiose—if well hidden and well guarded—temple compound where her master lived. The only sounds around were those of the wind and the forest, and she felt the cares and worries of city life and structure peeling away bit by bit as she ascended.

If she had ever considered any place home after moving out of her mother's apartment, it had to be this place. Sure, the energy around the temple felt off and strange for a couple minutes, but that was a deterrent, a defense that Genkai had put into her wards and talismans around the property to keep unfriendly folk out. She smiled a little, recalling her first visit; the wards had bugged her enough that she'd been extremely irritable upon finally reaching the top, and her first meeting with Genkai hadn't really gone _smoothly_. But spending enough time around them allowed her to tune the feeling out, and her relationship with Genkai had also improved quickly.

She looked around after a minute, then stretched out from a casual walk into a quick bounce, cutting out seven to ten steps at a time as she headed for home.

* * *

Genkai was waiting on the porch as Kimiko pretty much jumped right over the large gate, looking as crabby as ever. Kimiko gave her master a grin, and threw her bags to the side as Genkai leaped for the attack that was how she said hello to her student. The old woman's speed was still _miles_ above her own, but she was allowed to match, if only for a little bit.

The hit that took Kimiko's landing and turned it into a crash was a light one, a tricky one that destabilized her and knocked her down to the ground. She laid there for a moment, then started laughing.

"Well, you _have_ improved a little, but there's still work for me yet," Genkai groused as she touched down neatly across from her giggling, dust-covered protege.

"Nice to see you too, master," Kimiko replied, sitting up with a grin and a wince. "It's been a while."

After a moment, Genkai's stern visage lightened some, a faint smile growing on her face as well.

"It has indeed. It's about time you came back too; the boys were considering making a run into your city to say hello."

"Oh, because _that_ would go over well," Kimiko rolled her eyes and hopped to her feet. "What's first then, master?"

"Put your stuff away, and come to the training hall; you can tell me in greater detail about the fights you've had and we can go from there."

"Yes ma'am!"

Kimiko brushed the dust off, grabbed her bags, and went to settle herself in her room.

* * *

It had been her room ever since she'd walked into the temple a decade prior; something about it was just... perfect. Sometimes she had shared it—with Keiko and Shizuru when they'd come to visit—but mostly, it was purely her space, and she decorated it with that in mind.

It was on the south-eastern side of the temple, so it caught the light first thing every morning; to that end she had a few prisms hanging from the ceiling that would scatter rainbows once the outer doors were opened. The non-sliding walls had posters tacked to them of bands, movies, and anime she had enjoyed over the years, her personal bookshelf was filled with a mix of technique scrolls and books, and her preferred relaxation genre, of high fantasy. There was something funny about _living_ fantastical things that made the written books more enjoyable... plus, every now and again she ran across a description that was both accurate and useful.

Stepping into it, like stepping onto the temple grounds, made her feel content, relaxed... she was home. It was a shame it was so far from the city and her work, otherwise she would have happily made the commute. But she didn't fancy something like four hours on a train in the morning, and a further four hours after leaving work, so in the city she lived.

She tossed her backpack into one corner, and her duffel near the closet that held the futons, then pushed open the outer screens to let the sunshine in. She stood there a moment, basking in the warmth, then turned to the backpack so she could pull out a handful of hair pins that she would use to keep her long braid out of Genkai's reach; a lesson she had learned early. It was something she forgot half the time when she went out, mostly because she hated the feeling of the pins in her hair, but if she left the braid swinging during a training spar, her master always gave it a good yank in reminder. Or sometimes worse than a yank; being flung through the air by ones hair was _not_ a fun part of training.

She knew it wouldn't take the boys long to figure out she was back, but she first had to catch up with her master, and probably get her ass kicked a few times... then she could say hello to her friends.

* * *

"You've had an eventful six months," Genkai said, glancing over at the girl who was balanced carefully on a spike, using her energy to keep herself floating above it. "I'd heard rumors about that human hunter; hopefully his demise will make others tread more carefully in your part of town."

"That is the plan, yes," Kimiko replied cheerfully.

This exercise was an old standby, really. It wasn't difficult to hold for long periods of time any longer the way it had been even five years prior. Plus, it was easier to talk while 'floating' above the spike than it was while sparring.

"Actually, my patch is getting quieter and quieter," she admitted after a moment. "Most of the demons I encounter now are those who're looking for a quieter life. The smart ones don't even attack me! I mean, I still run into morons like the kyukonki last night, but it's definitely not as common as it used to be. I can't decide if this means word is getting around about me, or my area is just getting a good rep. I'm hoping on the latter, cause fame is just gonna bite me, I know it."

Genkai let out a brief bark of laughter, nodding in agreement.

"Well, at least you still retain your common sense, despite being vaguely addled by a boy."

Kimiko stuck her tongue out at her teacher.

"I am _not_ addled. He's just a friend."

"Uh huh, and the ocean is _just_ full of salt."

Kimiko huffed, and settled into a semi-sulky silence; after all the work she'd put into talking to Shuuichi, making herself clear and understood, it was a bit annoying to have her master refute it so easily.

"Oh, don't look so pouty," Genkai scoffed a little. "You want to get as many wrinkles as I have?"

"...master, I'm nowhere _near_ ancient."

Having to dodge the swat was _entirely_ worth the smartass comment. It also put an end to the 'floating' test, and the conversation was put aside in favor of sparring.

* * *

"Ow, ow, ow," Kimiko muttered, rolling her shoulder with a grimace as she slid into the steaming bath. "She didn't have to hit me _that_ hard."

The sparring had ended as it always did; with Kimiko sporting numerous bruises from having her ass handed to her. For a seventy year old woman, Genkai still moved like she was someone _much_ younger.

Of course, Kimiko had been laboring under a new handicap. She lifted her wrist with moderate difficulty, and angled it just so to see the golden cuff wrapped around it. Genkai had called them spirit cuffs, and had said they would improve her energy levels, but the trick was to stay full powered at all times. Not something Kimiko was comfortable with doing, considering how hard she worked to mask her energy and seem more harmless than she really was, but...

She just sighed a little, and considered the words her master had said before sending her off to have a hot soak. Grab all the happiness possible before it's too late. Friends, loves, whatever it was, grab it and cherish it. Don't cling tightly, but don't let it go either if it can be helped.

She briefly entertained the thought of trying to call Shuuichi and ask him what he thought, but quickly decided against that; Genkai's words had held a familiar melancholy to them that spoke of lessons hard learned. She would try and take her master's advice to heart, even if she didn't fully understand just what she was referencing.

Kimiko knew that Genkai had suffered some great tragedy that had brought her to this mountain to make this compound, but she didn't know the specifics of it. But sometimes, when she looked at her master, Genkai would seem _old_. Not just aged and wise, but sad, and small, and old. It was usually only for a moment, and the moments almost inevitably passed quickly, but it still made her wonder and worry.

Asking, of course, was out of the question; it was nosy, and Kimiko respected Genkai too much to press into topics that would cause the old woman heartache. That was the altruistic reason, at least; the more selfish one being that she suspected she'd get bounced around like a pachinko ball if she pressed too hard. She remembered that feeling from her first few months of training as a teenager, and had _no_ desire to revisit it.

She stayed in the bath until everything felt about as relaxed as it was going to get before clambering out to get dressed and go find something to eat. It was just crossing into twilight when she stepped out onto the lawn, and her only warning of incoming was a sudden upswing of the breeze. Reflex had her jump, instinct made her twist to the right while guarding her treats, and Jin the wind master passed neatly underneath her.

And almost plowed into the wall.

" _What_ have I told you about trying to jump me?" Kimiko scolded as the demon managed to pull himself up short before impact. "I swear, one of theses days you really _are_ going to make friends with one of these walls, and then I'll _really_ get to laugh at you."

He turned around with a wide grin.

"Aww, but when we knew you were comin back, we thought it'd be fun tae see how you've improved," he replied cheekily.

"Yes, because you lot need more proof that I can still kick your asses," she said dryly. "Nerd. C'mere."

The invite was really all he'd been waiting for, as she well knew. Being scooped up in a twirly, hugging whirlwind was fun only if she was _prepared_ for it, but he always would try from the back, just to be difficult.

Still, it was nice to know that she had been missed.

When Jin came to a hovering stop, they were well above the treetops, and Kimiko felt a bit breathless from how apparently gleeful he'd been.

"You've been gone for _forever_ ," he said pouting a little down at her. "We were startin tae think you might need some help getting out of your city."

She snorted a little, amused.

"Well, maybe if you guys would come by Genkai's more often than once every few months, you'd learn more," she teased. "I call her at least once a week just to chat and fill her in."

"...every time we drop by, we end up getting pulled intae some sort o'trainin," he grumbled.

Kimiko laughed.

"And you get stronger for it! Master Genkai may not act it, but she likes teaching people who've got potential, y'know. You lot may be a band of nuts in the woods together, but she's pretty alone up here. I'd probably jump at the chance to train as interaction too, if I lived here by myself all the time! Besides, what else do you guys do all day but preen and posture?"

"Hey now, we don't _all_ do that," he protested.

She raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"...much..."

"Uh huh. Look, I know most of you can't work human-type jobs, but it's not going to hurt anyone if you give her some company more often. Hell, give her something new to complain about; your training stories are always funny!"

Now he made a face at her.

"I could drop you," he mock-threatened.

"You'd regret it," she retorted, not worried in the least. "How's it going with finding portals in the woods, though? Isn't that what you guys were working on last time?"

He started drifting downwards, nodding a little.

"Aye. We found a few places where it's easier for them tae form, so we've been takin turns watchin out and makin sure anyone who comes through aren't interested in causing trouble."

"Did you mark them on the map?"

"Some of em keep movin around," he grumbled. "Not easy tae put a pin in a location that's always changin."

"Fair," Kimiko nodded a little. "All right, so, I've got a week of it just being me here. And yes, before you ask, most of the day is going to be taken up with training, but you guys are always welcome to drop by, and you know it. Next week, Yuu and the others are going to show up for the middle two. Also a little demoness from work, Yukina. She'll be staying til the end of the month, but I've told her about you guys, so you don't have to worry about dropping in. Oh, and another friend, Shuuichi, might show up. Also a demon, but he blends a lot better than you lot, so he actually works in the city."

"Suzuki says he's got a new toy to show you," Jin said as they landed, "and I know Toya's lookin forward tae another match, but only two weeks of four?" And he sighed in a dramatic manner. "That's just not fair."

"Well..." Kimiko hesitated for a moment, then gave a mental shrug. "Pretty sure Yuu and Kaz and the rest wouldn't mind meeting you guys. As long as you don't make any threatening moves and all..."

Jin looked a bit pensive.

"I'm not saying you have to," she said, patting his arm lightly. "Just... keep it in mind. I really do think you lot and Yuu, at the least, would get on exceptionally."

"He _does_ have an interestin air about him," the wind demon admitted slowly. "I'll run it past the others and see what they think."

"All right. Oh, and before I forget, Yukina is an Ice Maiden."

"An Ice Maiden?" Jin whistled lowly. "Well now, what's one of them doin here?"

"She's looking for her brother, apparently. Works with me at the shop."

"Aye, you _do_ attract the strange and odd, don't you?"

Kimiko lightly punched his shoulder with a grin.

"You're one to talk," she retorted. "Besides, if anything, it's the shop itself that attracts the different ones. That's what makes working there so much fun."

Jin snickered a little.

"Right, I'll get back tae the boys, and we'll come harass you for funsies at some point! Don't let the old woman beat ya up too much!"

"Get lost, before Master Genkai kicks you out herself," Kimiko laughed.

He gave her a jaunty salute, and launched himself into the air. Kimiko watched him go for a few moments, then returned to her room with her snacks to do some studying.


	7. Six

Six

Summer in the city was almost too hot to bear some years, and this was was turning out to be one of them. Shuuichi could normally get by with wearing his usual long slacks and a t-shirt, but this year was simply refusing to allow that to be cool enough; he'd ended up having to resort to tank tops, even while working in the shop, to help remain cool. Tying his hair up had helped some as well, but in the long run, he found himself thinking rather longingly of visiting the beach, or even a mountain resort where it would be much less crowded and close than the ever-packed city.

Kimiko had been gone for a week and a half at this point. And even though he'd only known her personally for barely three, he missed her. She had called him a couple of times from what she'd called a 'clunky old landline' since her cell phone didn't have any bars so deep out in the mountains, and that had helped some... but he found himself wanting to see her. Waiting for the end of the week was starting to feel a bit harder than he'd anticipated...

It was a good thing, he decided, that Kokoda was willing to step in and run the shop. Shuuichi had the sense that with Kimiko as part of his life, his carefully cultivated schedule was likely to get a massive facelift.

Even as he let himself into her apartment to care for her plants, he found himself smiling a little at the thought; it was good to have an element or two in his life that was uncertain. It made things just a bit more... exciting.

* * *

"You didn't tell him on purpose, huh?"

Kimiko grinned at Shizuru, as they both watched Kazuma strutting around, making Yukina laugh.

"Nope~ I figured it'd be worth a laugh to see his expression, and I was right!"

The older woman chuckled a bit, lit cigarette hanging loosely between her fingers.

"You're getting sneakier," she said approvingly. "Used to be you and Yusuke couldn't lie to save your asses."

"Hey, Yuu still has a terrible poker face," Kimiko said blithely.

"I heard that!" her brother hollered in protest.

"I just have the 'be polite to the customer, even if you want to punch them' face," the brunette continued, smirking cheekily at Yusuke. "Helps a lot when keeping secrets."

"You keep many secrets these days?"

"Enough," and Kimiko shrugged a little. "But not as many as I used to."

Shizuru chuckled again, shaking her head lightly.

"At least none of them have come back to bite you in the ass, right?"

"Well, I try to not keep _that_ sort of secret. Bad for my health and all."

That made the older woman snort, even as she dropped the end of her cigarette into the sand and stomped it out with her heel.

"Kiddo, with the way _you_ fight, sometimes I think there's _nothing_ that's bad for your health."

"Flatterer~"

* * *

"You're certain it's all right that I come up as well?"

"Of course it is, Shuuichi," Kimiko said, idly leaning against the wall. "There's plenty of room, and Master Genkai likes the company, even if she won't admit it. One more person isn't going to make that much of a difference in what's going on, and it'll be _more_ fun, I think."

She heard him chuckle a little, and had to smile herself; it was nice talking to him like this, but she did hope he could find _some_ time to get away. It was hot enough that everyone tended to vote for beach fun after Kimiko's training was finished... and sometimes even before then, leaving her—and sometimes Yusuke—to the ministrations of Genkai while they went off to have fun.

"Really, there's no problem if you want to come up. Blabbermouth Kaz has made everyone interested in actually meeting you too... is there a chance, you think?"

"Maybe. I will see what I can do."

"All right..."

Kimiko glanced up as Keiko waved to her from down the hall, then nodded.

"Looks like everything's ready, so I've gotta go now. I hope to see you soon, Shuuichi!"

"You take care, and enjoy yourself," he said warmly.

She sighed a little as she hung up, then padded down to join her friend; the movie marathon was going to be fun, at least. But she couldn't help thinking it would be _more_ fun if she had a friendly redhead to enjoy it with...

* * *

Shuuichi adjusted the backpack he had slung over one shoulder as he looked up the number of stairs he was about to climb, contemplating again whether this 'surprise' visit was going to be as good an idea as he'd initially thought. Perhaps he should have told her... but it was too late now.

The air around here was definitely cooler, though the energy in the area felt... odd, somehow. A little menacing, and strangely warped, trying to push a strong 'go away' feeling, he realized. Understandable, knowing what he did about Master Genkai. The old woman was a fairly legendary former demon hunter, who had, for an unknown reason, decided to become a hermit some fifty or so years prior. He'd still be a demon-demon then, not in possession of his current human body, and his only thought at that time had been to be briefly relieved that, if he decided to cause trouble in the human world, he wouldn't have to find a way around such a powerful human.

Of course, then he'd suffered an injury at the hands of a _different_ , extremely powerful human, but that was neither here nor there at the moment. In truth, he didn't regret it as much as he initially had...

The forest to either side was relatively nice and peaceful; birds were singing, and creatures were running through the brush as he climbed up to the temple compound. The soft breeze brought the scents of pine and some flowers to his nose; things that would make good medicine, he decided absently. The aura of 'go away' became strong as he climbed, and almost threatening, until he was almost at the top, at which point it simply vanished.

The temple was, in a word, large. It was also surprisingly quiet for the number of people Kimiko had indicated would be there. Cautiously, he set foot on the grounds, listening intently for sounds of combat, or conversation. He heard, sensed, and saw nothing out of the ordinary... or whatever might've passed for ordinary around here, and slowly turned, wondering if maybe he'd gone to the wrong place.

"If you're looking for Kimiko, Minamino Shuuichi, she's with the others down at the beach."

It took a great deal of control to avoid jumping at the crabby, creaky voice. Slowly, he lowered the backpack from his shoulder and turned back to the temple, to spy the old woman standing there. She looked moderately unfriendly, but the eyes that studied him weren't cold. Kimiko's thoughtful look, he recognized after a moment, but in a _much_ older face.

"She said she hoped you'd come up," the old woman—Master Genkai, obviously—continued. "I think she expected to be informed first, though."

"Ah...well..." Shuuichi found himself at a bit of a loss.

After a moment, the ice seemed to crack, and something that was almost amusement crossed the old woman's face.

"Oh, relax boy. Of course I know who you are. Kimiko's mentioned you ever since you moved in. It's about damn time you two actually started talking, she was driving _me_ nuts with all her waffling," and Genkai flapped a hand lightly in annoyance. "She can be bold as brass in a fight, but trying to get her to talk to someone she finds interesting is more like trying to hammer a nail into a steel pipe."

"Difficult at best, impossible at worst," he said after a moment, still feeling off-balance.

"Pretty much. Look, come inside, drop the bag into a room, and then take the west gate out; that'll take you down to the beach," and Genkai's expression changed to a full on smirk. "Or you could wait here and I could get to watch the show."

Shuuichi considered himself many things. Brave was occasionally one of them. But he didn't relish the thought of sticking around this temple to wait until Kimiko came back, so after a moment he picked his bag up again.

"Where might I leave this?" he inquired politely.

* * *

The beach was _definitely_ the best way to beat the summer heat, Kimiko decided again as she waded in the cool ocean water. Keiko and Yukina were building a sand castle—their third—while Yusuke and Kazuma were shooting the breeze. Shizuru was lounging one a beach towel with a beer under the umbrella, and a cigarette in her other hand, just generally relaxing.

True, she still had to get up at the ass end of dawn and get her daily beating—training—in, but the hours of fun that followed were perfectly fun. Caring for the temple went a lot faster with all of them there, even if Genkai _did_ grumble about the amount of noise they made. Kimiko knew full well, however, that her master didn't actually mean it; the fact that everyone was still there was testament to that much.

It still bummed her out some, however, that Jin and the rest still didn't feel comfortable meeting her human friends. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of the redheaded wind demon, and not even _that_ of the rest of them once they learned Yusuke and the others were coming.

She sighed faintly, absently flicking stray hair from her ponytail out of her face. Maybe she'd be able to convince them another time...

* * *

It took some time to walk to the beach, which gave him time to reflect on how stealthy Genkai had been. He had been willing to _swear_ that the temple had been utterly deserted, and then she had simply _appeared_. And not to all of his senses either, which was definitely unnerving. At the same time, he could easily see where Kimiko had learned her trick of muting her energy, even if he didn't entirely appreciate it being used on him.

But Genkai had said that Kimiko had talked about him. Had expressed a desire to meet him for... almost two years? It was a little strange, but somehow amusing. Kimiko, for all her forthrightness, was almost alarmingly cute when she turned shy. Not that he was going to indicate as much, not yet. He didn't want her to think he was being patronizing, after all, but it _was_ amusing to realize that she had procrastinated on the meeting just as much, if not more so, than he had.

It was decidedly true, however, that life was much more interesting now that they were friends. And if he was going to be introduced to what amounted to her family, then perhaps he ought to return the favor, and have her meet his.

The bluff that overlooked the beach was covered in spiky green grass, and allowed him an excellent view of the antics before. Laughter drifted up on the wind, both feminine and masculine, and he peered down curiously at the group. Kimiko he picked out immediately, in a crop top and shorts, was chasing a young man with hair as black as hers through the surf, and seemed to be swatting at him with... seaweed? That had to be her brother, Yusuke. Yukina was working on a sand castle with Kazuma and another woman with dark brown hair, who had paused to watch the antics of the twins and seemed to be laughing. The last woman was situated under a beach umbrella, and he couldn't quite make out her features, but he caught the faintest hint of cigarette smoke, and suspected that she had to be Kzauma's older sister Shizuru, which meant the other one had to be Keiko, Yusuke's wife, and Kimiko's oldest friend.

Shizuru was the one who seemed to sense him first, though Kazuma was not far behind; both of them turning within moments of one another to look upwards towards the bluff. Kazuma lifted an arm, and he could almost make out a bellowed greeting that caused the running in the water to stop as it caught Kimiko's attention. Before she could turn, Shuuichi moved away from the edge, and found the path that would take him down to where they were. Perhaps he had lost the full element of surprise... but then again, perhaps not.

* * *

"I'm telling ya, he was up there!" Kazuma protested, waving a hand at the now-empty clifftop.

"You sure you're not getting sunstroke or something, Kaz?" Kimiko asked skeptically. "There's no one there. And Shuuichi didn't seem like he was going to be able to get away at all, from what he told me."

"Not anymore, but there _was_ someone," Shizuru said. "He had bright red hair, and he seemed to be watching us... Not with any malicious sort of intent, but he was kind of hard to ignore, Kimi."

Kimiko glanced back up at the bluff with a slight frown; had Jin come to spy? But no, she could usually pick out Jin's energy with minimal effort, and it almost _always_ came with an increased breeze at the very least; while the air around them wasn't dead, it wasn't rushing with his sort of trickster antics either.

So then... _could_ it be Shuuichi?

The idea made her heart jump slightly, but she pushed that thought away after a bit of speculation; surely he would have called to let her know. Or he would have said something. Surprises just didn't seem to be...

Her thoughts trailed off as a familiar redhead came around the edge of the bluff, and lifted a hand in calm greeting. Surprise fled in the wake of delight and glee, and she abandoned the faux-angry chasing of her brother to run for her friend.

* * *

He had thought he was prepared for any sort of greeting; stunned, happy, even exuberant. He was _not_ prepared to be tackled in an enthusiastic hug, and almost ended up falling over onto the sand. Clearly, this vacation had relaxed her inhibitions some... or perhaps she really was just naturally expressive like this. Either way, after the initial surprise, it wasn't too hard to return the hug.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me you were coming?" she half-laughed, half-demanded as she pulled away, and lightly swatted his arm.

"Because a surprise seemed like a good idea?" he offered.

Kimiko huffed. Laughed. Then caught him by the wrist and pulled him along to meet the others, something he had no desire to fight. If anything, he marveled at her forwardness, and found humor in her clear glee at seeing him so unexpectedly.

Her friends seemed to be a mixed bag for reactions; Yukina was giggling hard enough to have some trouble breathing, while Kazuma's expression suggested that he didn't buy the 'not dating' label Kimiko had thrown at him last month. Yusuke looked somewhere between wary and curious—Shuuichi could hardly blame him for either emotion, given what all Kimiko had told him about herself—while Keiko seemed to be having a hard time not joining Yukina in her giggling fit. Shizuru was probably the calmest of the three, not to mention the least confrontational; she hadn't even gotten up from her beach towel, but she _was_ watching, and there was a palpable weight of amusement to her, even if it didn't overtly show.

A glance at Kimiko showed that she had registered the reactions of her friends and family as well, and was somewhere between embarrassed and happy.

"Okay, yeah, you can stop laughing at me now," she said, tone annoyed. "Gang, this is my _friend,_ Minamino Shuuichi. Shuuichi, that's my brother Yusuke, friend and sister in law Keiko, and psuedo-big-sister Shizuru. And you already know Kaz and Yukina."

Shuuichi smiled politely, and bowed to the group. Yukina waved cheerfully, still giggling intermittently, and handily stopped Kazuma's comment before it started by asking if he could find some shells for the latest castle. Shuuichi's smile widened just fractionally as the ice maiden gave him a barely perceptible wink.

"Just friends, huh sis?"

" _Yes_ , Yuu, we're just friends," she huffed, propping her hands on her hips.

Yusuke's skeptical look gained a mischevious edge.

"Sure didn't look like a 'friendly' greeting to me."

"I will throw you into the ocean," Kimiko shot back, and Shuuichi was quite willing to bet she was serious.

"Yeah yeah, you and what army?"

"Who says I _need_ an army?"

Yusuke snorted at her, and that seemed to be all the impetus needed for his sister to charge. Shuuichi watched for a moment, shaking his head a little at the rather ridiculous antics that had set Keiko to laughing.

"You get used to it after a while," Shizuru commented lazily, chuckling a little. "Nice to meet you, by the way."

"Yes, it's nice to meet all of you as well. She's said quite a lot about you."

"She can be a right chatterbox when there's sufficient motivation, but she's kept pretty quiet about you," Shizuru replied, snorting in amusement as Kimiko landed a leg sweep that knocked her brother into the ocean, as she'd threatened. "Kazuma said plenty, though."

"Oh dear," Shuuichi smiled faintly, though his attention sharpened.

"Relax," she advised. "Kazuma's a blabbermouth, but he passed on what she said pretty faithfully. It's good she's got a couple friends in that city; we were all worried that she was just going to be a loner for the rest of her life, job or no job."

Obviously, Kimiko could say nothing about how they'd met. He was going to have to ask her how they should explain that... But not while they were around all her friends. And it wasn't hard to guess that Shizuru—and the rest of them—would want those sorts of details at some point.

"She seems more outgoing here than she did in the city," he said after a moment.

"Well, out here the only expectations are her own, and those of Genkai," Shizuru replied. "She doesn't have to push herself to fit in..."

Shuuichi nodded a little in understanding as Yusuke tossed his sister into the ocean in revenge, and was promptly set upon by Kazuma for being mean to a girl. Kimiko promptly dunked both of them, and he chuckled a little.

"And of course, present company encourages roughhousing," Shizuru added dryly.

"It wouldn't be a proper get-together if they didn't try to drown each other at least once," Keiko put in with a grin. "They never mean it, after all."

Shizuru chuckled a bit, taking a drag from her cigarette.

"They'll never grow up. But that's not a bad thing."

"At least they all seem to be having fun," Shuuichi replied, his smile softening a bit as Kimiko's laughter, mixed with that of her brother's and Kazuma's, echoed through the air.

"Keiko, c'mere and help me drown your husband!" Kimiko called, a wide grin on her face.

"What?!" Yusuke's protest was immediate. "Hey, don't get _her_ involved! That's cheap!"

Keiko giggled and got to her feet.

"Coming!"

* * *

It felt, Shuuichi decided as he joined them for a late movie, like they had all been friends for years. After the initial wariness had floated past, Yusuke had proved to be just as straightforward as his sister. Of course, that straightforwardness had turned to threats if Shuuichi ever hurt her, but those had been quickly curtailed by the sister in question, and Keiko. Kimiko's irritability at her brother had lingered the entire walk back from the beach, and had ended up translating into a brief, almost startlingly brutal, sparring match that was judged by Genkai.

The fact that Kimiko had only barely won seemed to please both twins and master, though Shuuichi found it a bit odd. Still, having watched, he could see the difference between them; Kimiko's skill was from years of dedication. She was light on her feet, graceful and almost delicate in her movements. Elegant and precise, she fought much the way _he_ did, actually.

Yusuke, by contrast, seemed to fight by instinct alone and was much rougher in form. The fact that she managed to pin him and seemed quite proud of this fact, suggested the Yusuke's natural ability still gave him an edge, even though it was part of her profession, and she trained in a semi-regular manner.

As the movie progressed, and everyone became sufficiently absorbed, he kept his attention out for the brunette who had yet to actually join them. When she didn't appear, and the movie was half-over, he decided to go looking for her.

He left the movie room quietly, and quickly traced Kimiko's energy outside. Under the light of the half-moon, he spotted her half-sprawled out of her room. Her long hair was loose, and from the way it fell, he judged it to be still damp from the bath. She was dressed for comfort in the warm evening air, and she seemed to be... reading? Curiously, he approached. She stiffened slightly, then relaxed and glanced up at him with a faint grin.

"Movie get dull?" she asked.

"I was looking for you," he replied, sitting down on the walkway. "I thought you intended to join them?"

"I've seen that one a thousand times, so I thought I'd do something more useful," she admitted. "I train my body and reflexes during the day, and if I have the energy, I study less... lethal techniques at night." Kimiko paused, and gave him a thoughtful look. "Wanna help me practice?"

"That would depend on the type of practice..."

"Oh, like I want to hurt you," she chided, clearly amused, and offered him a look at what she was reading over. "Here, see? It's a pressure point chart. I usually practice on myself, or with the help of a friendly. They're still playing least-in-sight, though, so I'm pretty much on my own."

A pressure point chart it was indeed, with helpful notes alone the sides indicating what would happen to the arm, leg, or other appendage if done properly.

"...this is a medical chart," he said after a moment's scrutiny.

"Uh huh."

"You practice?"

"Sort of. Knowing how to heal works pretty well with fighting. I can use these on myself to help slow or stop bleeding, or I can use them on someone I'm fighting _with_ to take them down in a non-lethal manner. It's hard to walk when your legs won't respond," she said, her expression gaining a hint of mischief. "Or, post-fight, if they were only reacting, I'll patch them up to show that I'm really not that terrible a person. It's done me a good turn or three before."

He chuckled a little.

"I would believe it. As I've said before, you have a good heart."

He saw her blush a little, and wave a hand slightly in embarrassment, and couldn't help the faint flash of mischief. It really was quite _fun_ to throw her off-stride like this. But not too much, caution warned, not so hard as to push her away.

"All right," and he offered her his arm. "Show me."

* * *

"So, what _are_ your intentions with my sister?" Yusuke asked as they sat in the training hall.

Kimiko's hearing was good enough that, even though she was sparring with Genkai, she managed a split-second glare at her twin before being forced to refocus on her master. Everyone else was still sensibly in bed, but the four of them had risen with the dawn; Kimiko to practice with Genkai, Yusuke for the same, and Shuuichi because it was a habit. Being able to watch and be impressed by the sparring was just a lucky bonus.

Shuuichi just smiled faintly, and lightly shrugged.

"We are friends," he said simply. "It's too soon to know what might happen next. Nor, I think, is it your business."

Shuuichi had thought hard about how this conversation could go, and had spoken with Kimiko as she'd practiced on him the night prior. While the young woman had been irritated at the thought, she had agreed that her brother wouldn't drop it just because she kicked his ass in a spar; she'd spent the majority of her school years doing her best to take care of him, and now that he was settled, he was starting to return the favor. True, he couldn't do it _much_ since they no longer lived in the same town, but he would do what he could, _when_ he could, and it was always... difficult.

Yusuke looked a bit surprised at the firmness of the reprimand. Not offended, at least. More like he had expected something other than what he'd gotten. That had been Kimiko's advice; firm and calm threw Yusuke when he was expecting—goading—confrontation. Not, she had added, that she expected Shuuichi to be the sort to _fall_ for Yusuke's attempts.

He appreciated her confidence in him. Though it was true; Yusuke's baiting was blatantly transparent.

"But you _seem_ fond of her in a more-than-friends sort of way," he pressed.

"Considering that we are sitting here, watching your sister spar with a master that is well known for her skills, your concern seems... ill placed," Shuuichi pointed out in amusement. "Any unwanted, unwarranted advances are libel to be severely punished."

There was a yelp from Kimiko, who tumbled end over end across the floor, making both young men wince in sympathy. She righted herself before she hit the wall, at least, and went straight back into the spar, a wide grin on her face. Shuuichi stifled a chuckle; she was stubborn all right. It was, in its own way, endearing.

"...yeah, okay," Yusuke finally grumbled a little. "That is probably true. Still-"

"I'm quite certain if you finish what your about to say your sister will not only stop sparring with Genkai, she may well come after you," Shuuichi interrupted, feeling more amused by the moment. He'd done this a couple of times before, but this sort of conversation was usually paternal in nature, not brotherly. It was no less annoying, but given that for a good chunk of their lives, they had only had one another, he was quite willing to ignore it. "She is quite capable."

"Damn right!" Kimiko interjected, blocking a flurry of strikes from Genkai. "Quit being a _fusspot_ , Yuu, I'm not a kid, you know. Ack!"

Shuuichi winced a little as she ended up on her back again, the controlled tumble ending in a deliberate sprawl of surrender as she gasped for breath.

"Ooohhh... that was _mean_ , master."

"Teach you to not pay attention during a fight," Genkai said, a smirk on her wrinkly face. "Yusuke, you're up."

The young man in questioned grinned a little as Kimiko rolled onto her hands and knees, and bounced to his feet to go take his turn at getting his ass kicked. Shuuichi started to get up as well, worried about Kimiko, but she waved him down and managed to stagger upright, making her way over to where she had left both a towel and some water. She was limping slightly, and he could see numerous new bruises dotting her arms, but she seemed uninjured otherwise. He was, in fact, willing to swear that she was pleased by the outcome.

As Yusuke and Genkai started their spar—the old woman wasn't even _breathing_ hard, Shuuichi noticed with some trepidation—she made her way over to him, and flopped down, towel around her neck, and water bottle half-drained already. Slowly, and carefully, she started doing some cool down stretches.

"I don't know that he'll back off entirely, but thanks for trying," she said, keeping her voice low.

"I have no desire to cause a rift among siblings," Shuuichi replied, smiling a little at her thoughtfulness, and kept his voice soft as well, easily lost under the sounds of blows being exchanged. "Though I admit, I'd prefer to avoid being on your bad side more than his."

Kimiko shot him a grin.

"That's fair. _I'm_ the soul you're stuck putting up with, after all."

He shook his head a little.

"You're my friend," he said simply. "Friends don't 'put up' with one another."

"I dunno," and her tone was teasing now. "Sometimes, that's _exactly_ what happens with Kaz."

He chuckled a little, this time shaking his head wryly. Regardless of what she might think, he _enjoyed_ the time spent with her. If he hadn't, no doubt they both would have found ways to discourage coming together.

"What's to be done today?"

"Mmmn... Well, Yuu and I will trade off until about ten, and then those guys'll do whatever, while I work on the new kata I've been assigned. Lunch, and then if I don't take a nap, who knows?" And she shrugged a little. "That's the nice part about a vacation like this, and friends like these. We can all do as we please here, together or apart. And I know that no matter how she might complain about the noise, Master Genkai likes having us up here."

Shuuichi smiled faintly and nodded. It certainly sounded like she was enjoying herself, bruises and strains notwithstanding, and it was fascinating to see her interactions with friends and family.

"How long can you stay?"

"Ah... to the end of the week, if that's not a problem. Possibly a bit longer if Kokoda is enjoying himself as being the acting manager."

Kimiko's grin became quite a bit brighter.

"Awesome. Everyone except Yukina-chan is going to be leaving in a couple days, since they all have lives and jobs to get back to." After a moment, the grin turned into pure mischief. "Maybe you can spar with me?~"

"Ah..." Shuuichi considered the thought cautiously; it wasn't that he _didn't_ have hand-to-hand skills, but he admittedly hadn't kept up with them as much as his plant-based skills. "Perhaps."

She laughed a little, and despite the uncertainty of the idea, he couldn't help but smile. It would probably hurt... but if the idea he had percolating in the back of his mind was to bear any fruit, it would probably be good to dust off his neglected skills.


	8. Seven

Seven

Time, it seemed, passed entirely too fast for Kimiko's liking. Before she knew it, her brother and their friends had all left to return to their jobs and studies—Kazuma was apparently trying for an engineering degree now—leaving the temple quieter with just herself, Yukina, Shuuichi, and Genkai.

Not that it altered her schedule too much; she still trained at least until noon, mostly sparring and kata with Genkai. The first day the three of them had wandered around the forest for a while, gathering useful things for Genkai, as well as being shown just how much knowledge about plants Shuuichi held. While Kimiko had felt the energy signatures of her other demon friends, they had been at a fair distance...

The second day after Yusuke and the others had left, however, she got a surprise.

"You want to spar with me?" she asked, blinking a little.

"If you're not opposed to it," Shuuichi said with a nod. "I am a bit out of practice when it comes to hand-to-hand, but I would like to try."

"Um... Well, I mean, if you're _sure_..."

"It can't hurt," Genkai put in from where she was standing, watching them both. "You need more practice fighting other sorts of opponents, and he's not _completely_ useless."

Kimiko tried not to laugh, but she did make a face that Genkai couldn't see, earning a wry smile from Shuuichi.

"He has a greater height and reach than you, and I doubt he has those silly ideas that Kzauma does about not hitting women.," and after a moment the old woman gave a sharp nod. "Go for it."

Kimiko sighed, but nodded; if her master thought it was a good idea, then it probably was. She was just worried... she'd never seen Shuuichi fight before, and he had _admitted_ to being rusty. Still, he had offered, and there had to be a reason behind it; she had quickly picked up that there was a reason behind _everything_ Shuuichi did.

So she obligingly tossed her towel and water bottle to one side, and moved to the middle of the room; Shuuichi followed, and they stood roughly six feet apart, then formally bowed to one another, as Kimiko worked to hide her apprehension. He was not the _biggest_ person she'd ever had to fight against—kyukonki were, on _average_ six and a half feet at their shortest—but he was the first person she'd liked quite this much to ask for a spar.

"Begin!"

Typically, she was not an aggressive sort of fighter. A new opponent was first analyzed by allowing them to attack first, and getting the chance to probe speed, strength and skill level. But the barked order from Genkai overrode her preference and she was lunging in with a right hook before the decision fully registered. Not at full speed, but definitely at a speed that most people would be hard pressed to follow. To her surprise—relief and delight as well—not only did he track her, he dodged. It seemed like she surprised him though, judging by the expression on his face. He recovered quickly, at least, turning his dodge into an attack that she blocked, and they began trading blows at a rapid pace.

Part of her mind was dedicated to analysis, and easily cataloged everything she was seeing. Like her, Shuuichi seemed to use no one specific school of fighting, and he was _not_ as badly out of practice as he'd said. His movements flowed easily and well, if maybe slightly hampered by adjusting to her height and speed. She allowed herself to get caught up in the flow and feel of the fight, blocking out the other emotions that might interfere as she probed defenses.

Dimly she realized she was panting and sweating, but more prominently that he was _holding back_. Irritation broke through her control and she increased the speed of her attacks, forcing him to respond in kind. He too was sweating, breathing heavily, but he also seemed to be... enjoying himself? A lucky sweep landed him on his back, and he pushed himself back quicker to avoid her rising fist, turning his fall into a roll that put distance between them. One hand went to his hair briefly, reaching for...

She rushed in, sensing that if she let him get whatever he was reaching, she wasn't going to enjoy it. But he stopped the automatic movement and caught her incoming jab, turning it into a takedown. She managed to wriggle her way out of it, and was coming up with an elbow jab when-

"That's enough you two," Genkai's voice rang out, breaking into the bubble that had temporarily become their world. Kimiko froze, abruptly feeling the strain of her muscles, the rasp of her breath in her lungs, and the sweat that stuck her clothes to her skin. "Kimiko, get some water, and then do your cooldown kata."

Slowly she lowered her arm, then wiped her hand across her forehead. Shuuichi removed himself from the leg he'd still had pinned, then offered her a hand up, which she gladly accepted. Together they walked off to the side where Kimiko grabbed her water first, and half-drained it before grabbing her towel and mopping off some of the sweat.

"You were going for that whip, weren't you?" she asked, once she could speak without croaking. "The one you were holding when you watched me deal with those two kyukonki."

"I was," he admitted, a rueful expression on his face. "But the rose whip isn't the right sort of weapon for a friendly spar. I want to test myself against you, not hurt you."

That made her grin wearily, even as she finished her water, then started the measured, practiced steps of her kata. She had done these moves for so long that it was easy to sublimate them to reflex and keep talking.

"So you typically fight long-range?"

"I prefer it, yes," he nodded a little. "Keeping my foe at a distance usually results in a better chance of winning. At least for me."

She nodded a little; everyone had their own way of fighting, after all. Hers was no better or worse than his, and if it suited him, it wasn't her place to judge it.

"Maybe later you can show me?" she asked. "We can go wandering in the forest again or something. I know there's at least _one_ set of trees on this property that's pretty crabby."

"Just mind the center if you go there," Genkai put in, her creaky voice laced with sardonic amusement.

"Right, right, the irritating batman," Kimiko rolled her eyes a little as she slid through a punch-block combo. "I remember him. Hell, he probably remembers _me_."

The old woman snorted.

"That could very well be true. No one else gave him quite the pasting you did in all the time he's lived there."

"Other than you," Kimiko said dryly.

"Well, of course."

Kimiko rolled her eyes in tolerant amusement herself as she finished the first kata, and started the next. Shuuichi chuckled faintly, then bowed politely to both her and Genkai, then walked out; no doubt to get a chance to scrub down before she was fully finished with her kata. She could hardly begrudge him that, since these would take another hour at least.

"...I'll admit, when you first told me you were curious about a city-dwelling demon, I was concerned," Genkai said after his footsteps had faded away. "Your luck there is kind of hit and miss at times."

Kimiko snorted a little, but couldn't argue; her current demon friends had all been garnered over the course of several years. Her other attempts had not necessarily ended as well; a third of the time she'd been forced to punt them back to the demon world, and that was the _optimistic_ ending. More often they either left her city—and got caught up in some _other_ demon hunter's territory, someone much less merciful—or she was forced to kill them.

"He seems like a good one, at least," the old woman finished. "And you're _just_ friends?"

She knew a gentle mockery when she heard it, and turned her head to make a face at her master.

"Yes. _Just_ friends. For... for now, at least."

* * *

Yukina had elected to stay behind and look over some of the scrolls and books Genkai had on healing techniques, so it was just the two of them out walking in the forest after lunch had settled, and their energy had returned. They didn't speak much for a while; Kimiko was simply enjoying both the day and the company she was with. Whenever she glanced at Shuuichi, it was either in time to catch him glancing at her—she couldn't help smiling when it happened, and he would smile in return—or getting a moment to watch him be at ease under the canopy of trees.

"Are we making for that forest Master Genkai spoke of?" he asked eventually.

"Eh," she shrugged a little. "I mean, if you want to. The forest is sort of a trial in and of itself, though. Balzaak is the toughest thing there, but... Well, I could kick his ass when I was sixteen, so that's not really an endorsement."

He chuckled a little.

"So, since you seem to know where you are going, where _are_ we headed?"

"There's actually a really nice natural clearing, but it's a bit of a walk," she admitted. "Though I suppose it might be less nice, since Master Genkai told me the boys have been using it for training practice."

"Ah, your other demon friends?"

"Mmhm. Jin and Toya have been tracking the random opening of portals on the land Master Genkai owns, and all six of them, plus a bunch I don't know myself tend to patrol just to make sure no one nasty is going to try and settle here. Of course, to make sure of _that_ , they have to train pretty hard to beat down some of the demons that try to jump through," she shrugged a little. "Usually if it's too tough, they swallow their pride and get Master Genkai's help. She either trains them til they drop, or she does the job for them."

"Is it always so?"

"Naaaah. Wherever this area links up to on the other side, it's gotten something of a reputation as a haven. Kind of like my turf, I guess; getting known for a sort of ruthless mercy, if that makes any sense..."

He nodded a little as she neatly jumped over a fallen tree without thinking much about it.

"Ruthless to those who would case harm, but merciful to those who only seek shelter," he said, following easily.

Kimiko grinned a little at him, nodding herself.

"I mean, there's always going to be that one particular asshole who thinks they can get away with _being_ an asshole, but they either correct that attitude, or they get piled on. As far as I can tell, absolutely _no one_ wants Genkai to come to their hiding place if it can be avoided. So there's not typically a lot of trouble that the boys can't handle. Which is nice."

"I expect it would be. Peace and quiet to.. some extent."

Well, he wasn't wrong on that count.

* * *

The clearing took about forty-five minutes to reach, and Shuuichi suspected that it only took so long because Kimiko seemed to be enjoying the walk. He was as well, to be perfectly honest; the aura of the forest was soothing, unobtrusively boosting his energy... and, as he'd previously observed, he enjoyed just spending calm time with her, whether they spoke or not.

It was a nice clearing, modestly sized. There were a few bare patches, areas that suggested serious training had taken place, but on the whole it was mostly calm and green. To the metaphysical senses, there was a lingering stew of demonic energy hanging in the air, no doubt from those friends of hers that used the place to train.

"Is it okay?" she asked, glancing at him curiously.

Shuuichi gave the clearing a longer look, then nodded; for showing off, it would do just fine. Kimiko's gleeful grin was swift and short, followed by a patient expectation. Since they'd come out there for a specific reason, he saw no point in delaying, and reached into his hair to get the rose seed, pulling out the fully-bloomed rose with a slight flourish. Glancing sideways, he saw her frown a little, and turned more fully to show her what he'd done.

It was actually quite cute the way her eyes widened as the rose became a seed, and then a fully formed flower again.

"Do it again!"

He chuckled, and obliged; her expression became thoughtful as she watched, eyes lighting up in fascination. While he had always subtly employed his energy in the greenhouse while she was around, this was admittedly the time he'd been so very direct about it. He rather liked that studying look on her face... though not as much as the smile.

When he changed the rose from flower to thorny vie, her eyes lit up in delight. He stifled his amusement this time, proceeding through some very simplistic whip strikes; he had no need to make giant trees fall, or even cause damage to the grass. She had only wanted a demonstration, after all.

Kimiko stared in awe at his dexterity; the whip was a legitimate extension of his arm, and went where he wanted it to, damaging only slightly the ground before him. She didn't doubt for a second, however, that it was a lethal weapon. The thorns alone would have told her that.

It made her abstractly glad that they were friends; she had _not_ desire to face down a weapon like _that!_

He coiled it back up after a few minutes, paused, then turned and offered her the handle.

"Care to try?" he asked.

There was no challenge in his voice, no demand for proof of competency. She knew that _he_ knew, that she wasn't a weapons user. It was a legitimate offer, made from friendship. Kimiko jumped on it with a wide grin, carefully lifting the thornless handle that was offered. Shuuichi moved slightly behind her, and a light touch here and there adjusted her stance slightly for balance.

"Just flick your wrist," he said "It's a bit unwieldy at first, but I don't doubt you'll get the hang of it."

Kimiko lifted it cautiously; her only weapons experience, admittedly, was when she'd been part of her school's archery team, and an abortive attempt at learning a bo staff to compensate for her shorter reach as a child. She hadn't broached the subject with Genkai, since her master was a big proponent of hand-to-hand, and energy blasts, and really, mastering her body was the first step towards mastering a weapon.

At least, that was what it seemed like.

So after a moment, she gave the whip a cautious flick. It snapped out faster than she'd expected and startled her with a loud crack against nothing. Shuuichi's muffled chuckle from over her head made her huff a little in embarrassment, and try again, this time aiming for a specific spot.

She was _not_ successful in her attempts, and after a few minutes, Shuuichi again came up behind to offer help with stance and grip. As was often the case, she was trying _too_ hard, tensing up too much to really make the pinpoint strike she was attempting.

"On the bright side, you haven't wrapped it around your own leg," he offered when she made an irritated noise, missing yet again. "That would certainly be a story for your master..."

Kimiko turned to make a face up at him, and belatedly realized just how close they were standing. His hand was covering hers to guide the strike, which put his arm along hers, and her back up against his chest. His other hand rested lightly on her shoulder, and he was smiling down at her, amusement in his green eyes. Her breath caught briefly, and for a moment, time stilled.

And then a hard blast of wind heralded Jin's arrival; it was the first time in a _long_ while that she had been taken by surprise by the wind master. On any other day, she would consider this praiseworthy, but the wind knocked Shuuichi down, and tossed _her_ high into the air, where Jin waited to catch her. Before she could properly recover her wits, he had her across the clearing, and she caught sight of Toya holding a threatening stance against Shuuichi.

* * *

"Please stay down," the demon said, his face and voice neutral as he pointed a blade made entirely of ice at Shuuichi's throat. "I am almost certain that this is Jin over-reacting, but until Kimiko tells us, I'm going to treat you as a threat."

So this was Toya then. Shuuichi turned his head to look across the clearing at the redhead; Jin had his back to them, and he couldn't see Kimiko at all. But if he knew her like he thought...

The wind master yelped as he was thumped sharply upside the head, and Shuuichi winced in sympathy.

"Are you out of your damn _mind?_ " Kimiko's shout carried quite well through the air; she was _very_ annoyed. "I'm _fine_ , you jackass! And even if I hadn't been, that would've been _my fight_ , damnit!"

Toya sighed a little, and lowered his arm, the ice blade melting back into nothingness, which allowed Shuuichi to sit up and reclaim the dropped whip.

"I thought so..." the ice master said, shaking his head. "She wouldn't let just anyone get that close to her, especially not someone she thought was a threat."

And he offered Shuuichi a hand up; after a moment, Shuuichi took it, accepting the apology with a slight nod.

"As I told her brother the other day, she is more than dangerous enough to refute any sort of unwanted, unwarranted advances from anyone," he said a little dryly, returning the whip to the seed and putting it away. "And very adamant about not needing help, it would seem."

Given that she seemed to be giving Jin what for, though she had lowered her voice, it was an astute observation. Toya half-smiled in response.

"She needs help sometimes; she has no partner and can get in over her head," he said a little dryly. "But trying to get her to accept that has been an uphill battle for anyone who's tried. To be fair, she _is_ powerful. Just... headstrong."

"I _heard_ that!"

Shuuichi brought a hand up to hide his grin as Toya rolled his eyes in tolerant amusement. Kimiko stalked back over, giving the ice master an irritable look. Jin followed slowly after, looking sheepish.

" _You_ cheated," she huffed, jabbing a finger at him.

"Shinobi."

"I will _smack_ you."

Shuuichi looked at Jin, who still looked rather embarrassed, but that was turning into somewhat sly amusement.

"This happens often?" he inquired in a low voice as Kimiko and Toya fell to—hopefully—good natured bickering over how one couldn't cheat in a fight anyways.

"Aye," Jin nodded a little, then scratched the back of his head. "Toya, when he came lookin, wasn't so interested in hearin the words of a demon hunter. He didn't go'bout makin a ruckus or anythin, but Kimi's good at sensin energy, so she investigated. He jumped her."

Now Shuuichi nodded; Kimiko hadn't told him _all_ the details of that particular fight, but he certainly knew why she owned that long scar on the back of one arm.

"I'm ah.. sorry, by the way," Jin said after a moment. "I wasn't thinkin right..."

"You were concerned for a good friend," Shuuichi replied, allowing a faint smile to cross his face. "It happens."

"It damn well does _not_ happen," Kimiko glared indiscriminately at all of them. "I do _not_ need a bodyguard or a nursemaid, damnit! I am perfectly capable of _taking care of myself_."

Shuuichi prudently moved out of the way as she stomped past, deciding that it would be better to give her some space at the moment to let her cool down. Pride was a touchy subject, after all,and judging from the way she was holding herself, they had unintentionally wounded hers.

Toya sighed a little and shook his head.

"Now we're in for it," he said dryly. "Thanks Jin."

Jin, for his part, rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

* * *

Shuuichi's assessment, though he didn't know it, was square on the mark; Kimiko was _heavily_ offended by the idea that Jin thought she might need rescuing. As if she'd have let anyone who _was_ a threat get that close to her!

She took to the trees before she was ten feet out of the clearing, going from branch to branch in an effort to help cool her head some. Jin was impulsive, sure, but there _had_ been good intentions behind his attempted save. And to be fair, on any other day, he wouldn't have gotten the drop on her.

She was going to have to apologize later for lashing out at him when she was angry with herself.

Kimiko's random jumping eventually brought her to a small clearing mostly dominated by a lake. A reflexive check of latent energy told her that there wasn't anyone nearby, and she dropped to the ground to get a drink and splash some water on her face.

"Way to go, self," she muttered, flopping down next to the water and lacing her hands behind her head as she got comfortable on the forest loam. "Now they're gonna play least-in-sight until I leave..."

She sighed, and shook her head a bit; some small part of her was impressed at Jin's reflexes, even if they were born out of the misguided thought that she needed help. She'd known he was a protective friend, but this was the first time it had been demonstrated so decisively; usually they sparred _against_ one another, and none of them ever came into the city...

"Eeeeergh..."

She sat up and pulled the pins out of her hair, letting the braid flop down her back in hopes of releasing some of the tension. When that didn't work, she pulled the braid itself apart, turning it into a ponytail instead, to keep it off her neck. It was still too hot to let it down during the day, after all.

The bridsong that had faded as she'd bounded was coming back now, giving the clearing an air of peace that she was trying her best to absorb. Because really, she was more upset with herself than annoyed with Jin. He was in a certain amount of _trouble_ , to be certain, but he wouldn't have gotten the _chance_ to over-react if she'd been paying better attention.

And she had allowed herself to be distracted by Shuuichi.

Kimiko sighed and flopped backwards again, flinging her hair out absently to avoid laying on it. Well, the plus side—minor though it was—was that Jin and Toya had now met Shuuichi. They'd be more forthcoming with another demon than they were with humans, which had its good and bad parts as well.

She grumbled a little and absently rubbed the bridge of her nose; her master was going to have a field day with this one.

Well, there was no time like the present to get the mockery done and over with. Asshe flipped to her feet, a giggle echoed through the clearing. Mist flooded the clearing, rising from the lake, and Kimiko felt the hairs rising on the back of her neck as all around her, power began to rise.

* * *

After the initial tension and hostilities had been dispelled by Kimiko's display of temper, he found he actually quite liked Jin and Toya, and the feelings appeared to be mutual. And since they had all decided that she'd be fine on her own—or rather, no one was interested in getting yelled at further—they had elected to head back to the compound and wait for her there.

That had been several hours ago. She still wasn't back. Shuuichi, despite his best intentions, was starting to worry. He wasn't alone in the sentiment, at least; Jin and Toya both seemed uneasy about her persistent non-appearance, and Yukina too, once she'd been told what happened. Only Genkai remained indifferent to the darkening skies, instead co-opting the two ice demons to help her make the evening meal.

"She's been gone a while," Jin said after a bit, bouncing from foot to foot. "She's not usually gone so long after one'f us mucks up. She's not the grudge-holdin type. Or makin people worry tae punish em."

"Perhaps we should go looking for her," Shuuichi suggested. "It may be something as simple as accidentally taking a nap after calming down, but..."

"But this area is rife with other demons,and ain't all of em as nice aswe are," Jin finished. "Right. If she gets mad, it's all your idea."

Shuuichi chuckled faintly.

"All right. Then let's-"

The gate swung open and she half-staggered in, trailing cold air and ice. Jin yelped in surprise, stepping forward in unison with Shuuichi, but she waved them off.

"M'fine,"she said, her voice more tired than anything else. "Just need a long, hot soak. Did you know there was an ice spirit that's not Toya or Yukina-chan in the area?"

Jin blinked.

"...I'll take that as a no," Kimiko yawned a little, and ran a hand through her hair, shaking free some of the ice. "She was kind of crabby, and definitely not friendly. If Toya knew about her, I'm kicking his ass after breakfast."

"But you're not hurt?" Shuuichi asked.

"Nah. She was slow. Her only real trick was a peripheral field, which took me forever to break even after I knocked her out. So,y'know, sorry I'm late. Also, Jin," and the wind demon jumped. "Sorry I hit you."

After a moment, he grinned a little.

"Well, I did kind of deserve it. S'all good."

Kimiko smiled too, a little dryly, then glanced at Shuuichi. He was holding himself back from helping her, but he allowed himself to show his concern. Her sardonic expression faded into sheepishness.

"Sorry to worry you. Really, I'm fine. Just tired. Her peripheral field was absolutely freezing, but once I have a soak, I should be okay again. Promise."

"...if you say so, Kimiko-san," he said uncertainly.

She managed half a dozen steps before collapsing. Jin was fast, but Shuuichi had the longer legs and made it to her side first. The cold was bitter this close, radiating from her skin, and there was a curious sort of energy to it. Not latent either, this energy was very active, centering somewhere...

"Go and get Master Genkai," he said shortly, glancing up briefly at Jin. "This ice spirit is trying to possess her."

Jin went in a rush and Shuuichi carefully hunted for where the energy seemed to be thickest. Given the mist, and the chill air that was rolling off her, it was hard to find until he lifted her hair off the back of her neck. A small blue-white gemstone had attached itself to her spine and was pulsating eerily.

This was a type of possession he'd seen before, but not a type he could deal with on his own. Ice and plants never worked well in concert; in truth, more often than not, the ice would win. Fortunately, along with Genkai came Toya and Yukina.

"Kimiko-san!" Yukina gasped, crimson eyes wide in horror. "Oh no!"

Genkai's eyes narrowed at the sight of the stone on her student's neck; Shuuichi hoped she was angry at the spirit, and not Kimiko herself.

"Did she say anything before she collapsed?" Toya asked, crouching beside them.

"She wanted a hot soak..."

"Hmm... that might work, if we can keep the water hot enough," he frowned a little, blue eyes narrowing. "Master Genkai?"

The old woman stepped forward, holding her hand out as if feeling the energy. Probably that _was_ what she was doing. After a moment she nodded.

"It's not deeply imbeded yet; she's fighting back, but her own mental and physical energy will run out if we can't give her some outside help," she said.

"Why didn't she just _ask_ fer help?!" Jin demanded, clearly more anxious than angry.

"Because she was fighting it, and that was the only way she could get out a clue," Genkai snapped. "We're _lucky_ she made it back with this possession in the early stages!"

"Kimiko-san is very stubborn," Shuuichi said quietly, shivering a little as the icy chill increased around them. "Is there such a place?"

"There's some hotsprings deeper in the mountain range. Jin,you take her. We'll follow after. Yukina, Shuuichi, come with me and help me start packing up supplies. Toya, backtrack her trail and find out where this particular problem came from. You're best equipped to handle it if the demon can be in two places at once."

The old woman spoke with authority, and they all listened; reluctant though it was, Shuuichi passed Kimiko into the hands of the half-dressed Jin, who promptly started shivering, but gamely took of with her into the sky. Toya was already outside the wall, his energy quickly receding as he traced the ice to its source. Shuuichi couldn't help watching after the wind master, hating the helpless feeling that squirmed inside his chest.

"Move it, boy, the faster we get everything together, the sooner we'll be able to fix this mess she's gotten herself into."

Shuuichi jumped, then hurried to obey.

* * *

She wasn't unconscious, not really. But she couldn't waste the energy on reassuring them at the moment; she had to keep that shard of ice from worming any further under her skin.

It had been stupid of her to assume that the demon was of the friendly persuasion, but on the mountain they were either that, or—at the least—non-confrontational! That was the guarantee of having the boys _there_ , after all.

Kimiko cursed herself for a fool again; she should have been more wary, but the ice spirit had acted polite. _Friendly_ , even. Listening to her complain about her friends and their over-protective nature. It hadn't been until Kimiko had turned down the offer of a strength so grand that she'd be invincible that things had turned... nasty.

The peripheral field hadn't been a joke; though it hadn't left any scars, it had certainly leached away her energy. It reminded her, in fact, of one of Toya's moves, though he never used it on friends. She had _thought_ the low-yield energy blast would have knocked the demon out, and freed her, but she had been wrong, and the moment her guard had been down, the moment she'd turned to assess the barrier and seek a weak point to break through, was when the ice had caught her.

Thanks to the spirit cuffs that Genkai had insisted she wear, Kimiko's strength had steadily risen. That was the only explanation for how she'd managed to stagger through the forest, trailing ice and dead plants, all the way back, and keep herself aware just long enough to apologize and drop the only hint she could get out.

But even this new strength had its limits, and without external help, she wasn't going to last against this sort of parasitic possession. If she'd been able to spare it, she would have whispered an additional apology to Jin, holding her tight as he carried her into the mountains where the hot springs were.

She could feel the air warming around them as Jin landed, and smelled the sulfur that was the natural hot pools. The ice shard tried to counter this by putting out additional chill, but what was feasible on the cooler grounds of the forest compound was made more difficult by distance. The demon had only caught her with a small bit of ice, after all, though it was certainly _trying_ to spread.

Kimiko shut out the distractions, only barely allowing herself the peripheral energy to maintain control over her body as she fought against the energy in the ice. She was _not_ going to lose herself to some ice spirit that didn't know how to take _no_ for an answer, damnit!

* * *

When they arrived, Jin was looking rather panicked and woebegone; not hard to understand after a quick glance around showed that Kimiko's body was slowly freezing the hot water in the spring he'd placed her in. Shuuichi lightly bit the inside of his cheek in an effort to keep himself calm; Genkai and Yukina would be the main players in this... exorcism of sorts.

"Go scout the perimeter," Genkai ordered, giving both him and Jin severe looks. "We'll let you know when we're done."

"But-"

The glare that she used had both redheads stepping backwards. Jin slumped a little, then took off into the air, though he frequently glanced back.

"You too," Genkai frowned at Shuuichi. "The fewer energy signatures around right now, the better."

"...will she be all right?"

"The sooner you scat, the better her chances will be. Now go."

Shuuichi took one last look at the half-iced hot spring. Sighed. And left.

* * *

 _NaNo starts soon, so this story is temporarily getting shelved. Once I finish Twilight Tale, I SWEAR I will come back to it. Thanks so much for the follows and faves, guys. I means a lot._


	9. Eight

Eight

Waking up felt rather like slogging through a half-frozen swamp. It was an apt enough simile; she'd had to do that a couple of times for training because Master Genkai had thought it might help toughen her up. In reality, all it had managed was to give her a horrible cold for two weeks.

That was about how she felt at the moment, actually; like she had been horrendously sick, and was only just starting to recover. The futon that covered her felt like the edges were weighed down by lead, and shifting it off took more effort than she logically wanted to expend, so after a moment, Kimiko just decided it wasn't worth the effort of trying.

"Are you finally awake?"

Her master's voice produced an immediate need to respond, if nothing else, and she managed to pry her eyes open after a bit, revealing a dim room. _Her_ dim room, and the angle of the shadows suggested it was lacking an hour til dawn.

"Ow," Kimiko mumbled; even the diffuse light made her head hurt. "M'I dead?"

"No, but you sure gave it your best shot," the old woman snapped. "It took entirely too long to excise that demon-parasite from your neck!"

She winced.

"Sorry, master," she said meekly, pulling her head a little farther under the blanket. "Didn mean too..."

"Hmph. Well, at least now you'll remember to be _careful_ in the forest. Never thought I'd have to remind you of _that_."

The scolding was a fair one, and really, much less harsh than it could have been; Kimiko guessed that her master was more relieved than actually upset, though she would undoubtedly be paying for worrying her later.

"You'll need to rest up for a day or two," the older woman continued briskly. "Yukina and I did what we could, but there was still some damage that only sleep and food can repair."

"Okay..."

"Your boyfriend says-"

"He's _not_ my boyfriend!"

Genkai snickered a little at her expense, and Kimiko felt decidedly put out. It was only natural to be gently mocked, but it wasn't fair that everyone kept assuming something like that!

"Fine, your _friend_ says that he can help your recovery by adding some herbs to your food. _I_ said we ought to let you do it the long way, but he's pretty adamant about it," the old woman smirked a little. "Good to see that you _can_ muster the energy to be upset."

Kimiko lifted her head just enough to stick out her tongue.

* * *

He was there the next time she woke, and offered her a relieved smile when she managed to prop herself up onto her elbows without help. She responded with embarrassment, and a rueful expression crossed her face.

"Sorry to make you worry," she said, slowly sitting up the rest of the way, as if not entirely sure of her balance. He thought about offering her a hand, but decided against it; no doubt her pride was bruised enough. Better to let her do what she could for herself instead of being overly solicitous.

"I'm glad you're all right," Shuuichi he said instead, shifting a covered tray to her lap. "The rest will be as well, once they hear you've woken up and are looking better."

"Was I out for very long?"

"A couple of days," he said with a slight nod. "Master Genkai was certain that you would come around eventually."

"Of course I would," she snorted a little. "Master Genkai is the best at healing injuries, even the kind that are stupidly self-inflicted."

"That was hardly self-inflicted," Shuuichi said mildly.

"It was dumb of me to go off on my own, temperamental or not," she replied, peering under the tray cover. "Pretty sure that counts as self-inflicted in her books."

Shuuichi found he couldn't precisely _argue_ with that assessment; it rang true to Genkai's methods. So he stayed quiet and watched while Kimiko quickly devoured everything on the tray. It _was_ heartening to see her awake, and looking at least marginally more energetic; the image of her wan, pale face had haunted him for the past two nights, making it difficult to sleep easily.

"It's remarkably quiet, all things considered," she said when she'd finished, and he'd removed the tray. "Where is everyone?"

"Ah, Genkai said that if there was going to be fussing, it was going to happen in turns, and anyone whose turn it _wasn't_ was going to need to be in the training hall."

He watched as she blinked, then brought her hands up to her mouth to stifle her giggles.

"Sounds like my master all right," she said, once she had stopped laughing. Her grin made him feel more at ease, even though he could see the weariness creeping back in. "Poor Jin and Touya... And you too, of course."

"It's been instructive," he said with a chuckle. "I feel much _less_ rusty now that I've had sincere practice time, and I also feel a modicum of sympathy for you, having to come back to that."

She laughed again.

"I don't mind it. I get regular enough practice when I'm sent out on a hunt, which still happens entirely too often for me to really be _happy_ about," she replied wryly. "Besides, it's a good place to come back to, current mistakes aside."

"Because it is home?"

She blinked, clearly surprised by his assessment, though after a moment her expression turned thoughtful. Her nod was slow, but it was followed by a small smile.

"Yes."

* * *

Recovering, fortunately, wasn't a slow enough affair to raise concern, and though she did have to put up with some whining from Jin for making them all worry—and because he'd had to either suffer Genkai's teaching or leave—Kimiko found it more amusing than anything else. It had, unfortunately, cut into her remaining time, and four days after Shuuichi left to return to work, she did the same.

After an entire month away, the city was noisy and smelly, and made her grit her teeth a little as she made her way through the late afternoon crowds. She had to wash everything, and then air out the apartment, get her mail...

She spared a brief thought of poking her head in on Shuuichi to let him know she was back, then discarded the idea, though not without some regret. She would be doing errands that would be boring, and he had plenty to do at the shop, no doubt. He'd let slip that he'd only meant to stay for a week, not the two he'd ended up taking.

Making a mental note to send him a text later, along with the others she was going to need to send, she trotted up the stairs to her apartment to drop the bags just inside the door. She followed that up with grabbing her mail—of which she had more than a little—which got tossed rather haphazardly onto the table before she packed up for the laundromat

Laundry was dull at the best of times, but given that she'd managed to keep her cell phone intact, she killed it by sending off her reassuring texts that she was back, and then playing some games until she could take everything back to the apartment. Tossing everything in the rough direction of where it belonged, she sorted the mail, and frowned thoughtfully at her empty cupboards.

She wasn't sure she had the energy to cook... though granted, on the best days her cooking was painfully mediocre at best. But there were at least three take-away places nearby and-

The knock on her door made her jump, and she came around in defense mode; a few moments later, she shook her head and relaxed. Really, what sort of enemy would _knock_? And now that she was paying attention, she could feel a familiar curl of energy, one that made her smile.

Sure enough, when she opened the door, Shuuichi was standing there on the other side, a faint smile on his face as well.

"My apologies for not calling first, but I was in the area, and thought it might be prudent to invite you out for something to eat?" he said with studious politeness.

She glanced over at her tiny kitchen—one she knew he had probably gotten familiar with while he was tending her plants—then grinned.

"Yeah, sure. I was just pondering what to get, so your timing is, as always, perfection."

Shuuichi chuckled faintly as she pulled on her shoes and grabbed wallet, phone, and keys before stepping out of the way so that she could join him in the hall.

"I had hoped it might be," he admitted after she had locked the door and they were heading down the stairs. "Though I ought to have at least sent you a text first, for which I apologize."

She waved it off lightly, cheerfully.

"I was expecting _someone_ to pester me," she said with a grin. "Though I wasn't sure who'd manage it first, really. It was sort of a toss up."

"Between?"

"Probably Botan-san, and you," she admitted with a wry smile. " _Maybe_ Koenma-san, but he's probably buried in shop-work, and Yukina-chan's only been back for a day more, so she's undoubtedly relaxing herself."

Not that she would have put it past Yukina to make the attempt.

Shuuichi chuckled a little.

"Then I shall be grateful for the opportunity, as you are no doubt about to be very busy."

"Yup. Starting tomorrow, we're back to rebuilding the shop, and restocking _everything_. Botan-san's sent me pictures of how it looks now, and asked me to help with coming up with a layout tomorrow. It'll be nice to not be so crowded with stuff, but it's going to be some serious work."

Absently, Kimiko laced her hands together behind her head, glancing up at him.

"And of course, there will be all the required catch-up," she added thoughtfully. "I think I'll leave out the accidental possession... Botan-san'll go _postal_."

As she'd hoped, it made him laugh.

* * *

It had been comforting to see her, though he would be the first to admit it was poor manners to not inform her first. She looked, however, much improved over when he'd left, and she had not been offended at his careful inquiring of her condition.

Shuuichi glanced at her carefully out of the corner of his eye as she washed dishes with him, having insisted that she help in some way yet again. Yes, her color was normal, her eyes were bright, and her energy felt... well, it felt a bit odd, but she had told him that her master had her doing a new type of energy training. She _seemed_ her usual self, at least, and that was the most comforting part of all.

"So you're going to trade off days with Kokoda now?" she asked.

"Yes. We seem to have found a good working balance; one week was all right, but two was a bit much," and he chuckled a little. "So the store will mostly run as usual, but I'll be able to have at least three days off per week, as long as it doesn't interfere too much with his university studying. I told him he wasn't allowed to work more than a few hours when finals come around, which he agreed to immediately."

She laughed.

"Yeah, Kaz's impossible to reach during finals crunch time. We don't even try these days, and if _he_ doesn't let us know when that is, Shizuru usually does. What's his major?"

"He's still not sure yet; some days he expresses the desire to be a doctor, other times, the sciences draw him in. Fortunately, he's only in his first year, so he can think about that for a bit more while taking some generalized courses."

Kimiko nodded in understanding as she rinsed the last of the dishes and settled them into the drying rack.

"...I should probably get going," she said after a hesitant moment. "Lots to do tomorrow."

"I hope you'll find the time to stop by," he said, lightly touching her arm as she turned towards the door.

"Well, even if I don't, you may get some agonized 'why me?' texts while I'm working."

He chuckled slightly, and lightly patted her shoulder.

"I'll look forward to those," he promised.

That made _her_ laugh; she gave him a quick hug before heading out the door and down the stairs. He smiled after her, then retreated to his now quiet home so that he could watch her go down the street from his window. It really was comforting to know that she was recovered from that whole ordeal.

It was probably going to be a bit too quiet without her dropping in, he reflected as he finally lost track of her in the evening crowds. But a bit of mundanity in both of their lives probably wouldn't go amiss, and work was work. He would look forward to those moments when she could get away... and sternly told himself to not be greedy about wanting more.

* * *

"-and so then the whole _shelf_ comes tumbling down because Michiko failed to brace it right!" Kimiko said, throwing one arm wide as he tended patiently to the other. "Thank goodness we hadn't gotten more than a few books onto it, that would have been a _lot_ more dangerous than this!"

Shuuichi shook his head a little, trying to stifle his amusement. Really, they hadn't been apart that long; four days into the start of September, and here he was treating another injury of hers. Or, rather, re-treating is, as she'd done a rough job of it herself before coming to see him. This one had been gained mundanely, at least.

"It should heal up in about a day, given your skills," he said. "Has it been all mishaps and disasters at work then?"

"Well, no. Today's just been kind of cursed," she admitted as he taped the bandage into place. "Yukina-chan knocked over a pile of empty boxes in the back and we had to dig her out, Yatsuya-kun had to go to the hospital because he dropped a gong on his foot and broke something, then this thing with me, Michiko and the metal shelves of doom..."

Sympathetically, he patted her shoulder. She slanted him a look, then rolled her eyes with a dry smile.

"Oh, laugh. You know you wanna."

"Ah, but that would be impolite. It clearly has been something of a day for you, though."

"And there's another week and some to go. At least Botan-san liked my layout for the store..." Kimiko sighed a little, and leaned back on the greenhouse bench. "I swear, by the time this is all done, we're all going to want another vacation to recover from setting up!"

Now he did chuckled, putting a light, comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Well, at least you can say that your mundane work is not boring?" he offered.

"Right now, that is not as much of a blessing as you might think," she huffed a little, even as she leaned against him.

"Perhaps not," Shuuichi acknowledged. "Tomorrow ought to be better, though."

"I hope so! I'm not sure how it could get much worse."

"Perhaps it's best to not ask."

She grimaced a little, nodding in agreement, then brightened. Watching the play of emotions across her face made him smile, just a little.

"On the plus side, we all got sent home early, so I was able to come say hello! I mean, waving as I pass by while jogging is one thing, but... it's nice to actually talk to you."

Shuuichi nodded in agreement. It was good to see her jogging casually past, but...

"I wouldn't wish to interrupt your morning routine, but you are quite welcome to come in while I'm there," he said comfortably.

"Not enough time, but I'll remember that," she said with a dry smile. "We really are working practically twelve hour days trying to set up. Koenma-san's even out there with us instead of mired in the usual bureaucratic paperwork he seems stuck with. A lot of the newer minions find him intimidating... right up until he smacks his thumb with the hammer."

She snickered, and Shuuichi chuckled a little as well.

"Not much of a builder?"

"Not with inanimate objects, no. He's good with people, though. It's kind of impressive just _how_ good he is, considering how much he works in his office."

"Some people are naturally charismatic like that," he said, glancing down at her as she shifted a little. Not uncomfortable, he decided, simply trying to get a better position on the bench. "Like you."

She blinked, and stared up at him for a minute, then snorted and looked away. He was fairly sure she was blushing.

"Definitely _not_ me."

"Yes, you," he said patiently. "It's a bit rough, but you and your brother have that same charismatic nature that can draw people in, if they come to know you. Or sometimes, even if they don't."

She waved her good hand, now _plainly_ embarrassed, and he obligingly let the subject drop. It really was amusing, the blind spots she had about herself; when she wanted to, he'd seen her exude that natural charm, and he would certainly be the first to admit that if she turned her quick, mischievous smile on someone, they would probably develop a crush on her in short order.

"So, how's Kokoda doing?"

"Quite well. We've come to a good arrangement, and even though the shop does take in a bit _less_ when he's in charge," he felt more than heard her giggle, and smiled wryly in acknowledgment, "it's certainly not going to put us in any trouble. Actually, that does remind me; he's mentioned you to my mother, and she'd like to meet you."

"What?!"

She sat up abruptly, and stared at him, her expression somewhere between startled and unnerved.

"Kokoda doesn't know _much,_ but he's seen you often enough and knows that you're to be let back here without worry," Shuuichi explained, keeping his voice even. "He brought it up around Mother the other day, and I was obliged to explain that I had made a new friend. In the past, some friends have been... not so good as I had hoped, and she simply wants to make sure that you are not someone who has ulterior motives."

Given that he had met the people that more or less made up her family, he felt he wasn't asking too much. True, he had hoped to wait a _bit_ longer before introducing her formally to his family, let them both work out whether they wanted to be friends or more, but...

After a moment she nodded, though she still looked uncertain.

"Okay... I mean, I did kind of throw my friends at you, so..."

"I promise you, nothing formal," and he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "There's a cafe a town over where she lives that I take her to every Saturday. I'm certain she'll like you."

"Hn. Well, she's your mother. I just..."

"I know. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Optimist."

Now he chuckled, lifting his hand to lightly smooth some of her hair out of her face. That she leaned into his touch instead of shying away made him feel a bit better, at least.

"I know my mother, and I know you," he said comfortingly. "I'm certain that you'll get along. I know it's short notice, so if you can't make this Saturday, just let me know when you can."

"I _think_ I can swing it..." she nibbled a little on the edge of her thumb, purple eyes flicking a little in thought. "I'll talk to Botan-san tomorrow, and let you know on my lunch break, okay?"

He nodded in acquiescence and did not try to hold her back as she got to her feet. She still looked pensive, worried, but there wasn't much he could do or say that would mitigate that.

"Kimiko-san."

She paused at the door as he stood too, turning to look at him.

"Remember to keep that dry," and he pointed to her arm. "Between the salve and your own abilities, it should be fine in the morning."

She smiled at him, and nodded.

"Got it. I'll talk to you later, Shuuichi."

* * *

She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or even _more_ anxious when Botan told her it was okay to take Saturday off. After telling Shuuichi she'd meet him at the train station before noon, she went into a very mild panic about what to wear, and how to present herself. She managed to stifle it for most of Friday, but early Saturday morning she called Keiko; the only person who she knew would at least _try_ to provide some sympathy.

"Kimiko, you're being silly," Keiko said patiently. "I mean, I know you _like_ him, but right now you're just a friend meeting a friend's parent. Right?"

"I... I guess?" Kimiko said hesitantly, staring at the clothes she'd strew around the apartment in an attempt to figure out what to wear. Why did she have so few outfits? And they were all so _dull!_

"So just be yourself. That's always worked before!"

"You mean before when I was so busy trying to keep Yuu from doing stupid shit that I didn't have time to care?" Kimiko retorted.

"...well, okay, yes. But still. C'mon Kimiko, it's not going to be that bad. You're a great person! I'm sure Minamino-san's mother will see that."

Kimiko was quiet for long enough that Keiko sighed.

"Hey," she said gently. "You've got this. You've always been the put-together twin, remember? I'm sure she'll love you. You don't do the thing Yusuke does, after all."

"Which thing would that be?"

"Open mouth, insert foot."

Despite her tension, Kimiko had to laugh.

"He does do that an awful lot, doesn't he?"

"He's never _stopped,_ " Keiko replied with a tired sigh. "But I guess he wouldn't be Yusuke if he wasn't an idiot."

In the background, Kimiko was willing to swear she heard Yusuke's ' _I heard that_ ' which made her giggle even more.

"Are you and Minamino-san really not dating yet?" Keiko asked once Kimiko's giggles had wound down. "You certainly seem like you're a good fit."

"Keiko, are you trying to play matchmaker?" Kimiko teased.

"Well, you're my best friend, so I worry you know," Keiko huffed.

"We're just friends Keiko, really. And... you know this is all new to me. Boys in high school were too intimidated by Yusuke's punk act to get anywhere near me, and that's without all the... extra stuff I had to do. I don't know the first thing about this crap, so... we're going slow, I guess. I'd really rather a good friend more than anything else right now."

"I'm sure you've got one. Just don't close any doors before you try, okay?"

Kimiko smiled a little, ruefully.

"I'll try not to. Oh, and don't tell Yuu. He'll do the _thing_ again."

Now it was Keiko's turn to laugh.

"I won't say a word. Promise. And call me after! I wanna know how it went, _plus_ I have something exciting to tell you."

"Wait, what? Tell me now!"

"Nu uh," Keiko laughed a little. "You've got enough on your mind."

"Now you're just being _mean_ , Keiko."

Keiko laughed again, making Kimiko huff.

"You've got to get dressed at _some_ point, Kimiko," Keiko pointed out. "And soon, or you're going to miss the train. That wouldn't make the impression you're hoping for. If you're that worried, try and find something in a store before you reach the station. It's still sundress season, after all."

Kimiko groaned a little, but had to admit Keiko was right; the longer she spent dithering the less time she would have before she had to sprint for the station.

"I'll call you later, Keiko."

"Uh huh. Have fun!"

Kimiko snorted a little as she hit the end call button, and scowled at her meager clothing options. She had more workout and casual clothes than she did anything else. Her work clothes offered a more professional look, but how stiff was _too_ stiff?

As much as she hated admitting to it, Keiko's idea of a quick hunt through the nearby shops for a decent sundress had merit. Reluctantly she grabbed her stuff and headed out to see what she could find.

* * *

"It'll be _fine_ , you said. What could go _wrong_ , you said."

Shuuichi winced ruefully from his hiding place behind a raised brick bed of flowers.

"In my defense, a fight between demons and a hunter isn't exactly something you can predict."

Kimiko muttered under her breath, even though she had to admit he had a point.

It actually hadn't been going that badly; she had found a decent outfit that was both comfortable and even moderately cute, she had made the station with plenty of time to spare, and she'd even gotten a compliment out of him. The train ride had been patently uneventful, save the few bumps that had knocked her into him, and she had followed him up into this new town with more curiosity than nerves.

Shiori had proven to be a soft-spoken woman, who was protective of her son, and Kimiko had liked her almost immediately. _That part_ , at least, had gone according to whatever plan Shuuichi had intended. At least, she was fairly sure it had. They had been getting ready to leave when the trouble had started.

It had been innocuous at first; a trio of teens had come running in, clutching bats and pipes. While they had demon energy, they hadn't looked confrontational, just scared. Kimiko had been more than ready to ignore them when her other senses had kicked in; she had kicked over their table and pulled Shiori down behind it before the energy blast went off, swearing a little.

Thanks to the storefront shattering, they had managed to get out into the street, along with the rest of the panicking crowd, before another energy blast had forced Kimiko right, and Shuuichi left, protecting his mother. Shiori, for her part, was wide-eyed, but not hysterical; a small blessing as far as Kimiko was concerned.

"Look, get your mother out of here, I'll shut this down!"

Shuuichi looked down at his mother, then back up at her; Kimiko nodded firmly, and gave him a small, confident smile. She was going to have some _words_ with this hunter. Probably the demons as well, but at the moment, the hunter was higher on the list.

He sighed a little, and nodded; before Shiori could protest, Shuuichi was pulling her away. Kimiko watched for a moment, wincing a little at the sound of breaking things inside the cafe, and spared a moment to wish she could call for someone else to help; this was _not_ how she'd wanted the day to go at all.

Peering out from behind her meager cover, Kimiko assessed the situation, pushing her desires to the side for the moment. The hunter was powerful, that much was for certain, but they had absolutely no restraint. The poor cafe was definitely going to be a write off, considering how much smoke and damage it had incurred already. The crowd, thankfully, was filled with intelligent people; most of them had cleared out, save the few that were scared stiff. She had to get _them_ out of the line of fire first, otherwise there were bound to be human deaths as well as demon.

"...I really liked this sweater too," she grumbled, absently brushing ash from the just-bought item in question. "That demon hunter is going on my shit list."

The fight itself, thankfully, seemed to be confined _to_ the cafe for a moment, so she was able to get at the people outside who had been terrified into immobility and removed them to what was becoming the designated safe zone now that the police and emergency services had arrived.

"Hey, if anyone could contact the cafe owner and tell them I am _really_ sorry about what I'm gonna have to do to break up the fight, that'd be great," she said, as an officer took the last of the non-coms from her.

"Miss, you should-"

"Nah, I got this. But, y'know... apologies and all that."

Fortunately for her, anyone in a cafe uniform had managed to maintain their wits and get out of the building from which crashing and sounds of pain were emitting. Kimiko flicked her braid over her shoulder and strode towards it in pure irritation, building up a lavender energy ball in one hand. Coming up to the window, she peered into the shop, winced at the thought of all the damage she was about to cause, then lobbed the ball straight at the four fighters.

Then dove out of the way as the blast rocked the area. More pieces of the building cracked and crumbled, and she grimaced a little before carefully hopping through the shattered window. Two demons were down for the count; unconscious, but not dead. One was dazed, half-thrown over the counter—which was impressive really, she hadn't thought the counter would survive. The demon hunter had been thrown back into a wall, but was puling himself out even as she walked in, and pointed an energy sword in her direction.

"Who the hell are _you?!_ " he demanded arrogantly.

"Annoyed," she shot back, scowling. "Very very _annoyed_."

"This is _my_ fight-"

"Yes, and you're doing such an _excellent_ job at damage control," she snapped. "What the hell is _wrong_ with you, putting innocent lives in danger like that?! You could have _killed_ people, you fuckwit! And I swear to the gods, if you say they're collateral damage, I will _own_ your ass until the cows come home. What the hell are you even _doing?_ "

"Demon hunting," he said, as if that should be very obvious.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and counted to ten. Twice.

"Why do I always encounter the idiots?" she asked of no one in particular. "Look, do you even know what 'threat assessment' means? Or do you just charge in, weapons blazing, for every tiny demon?"

"I don't see what business that is of _yours_."

"As Master Genkai's _student_ , I'm making your conduct my business, cause frankly _it sucks_. These three," and she waved a hand behind her, taking in the trio of demons, "are about as dangerous as kittens."

He looked startled for a moment at her claim, then glared.

"They're _demons_."

She glared back, propping her hands on her hips irritably.

"Believe it or not, demons and humans _aren't that different_. I know _plenty_ of demons who've come into cities looking to have a better life than what the demon world offers. They don't want to fight, they just want to _live_. But trigger-happy fuckwits like you don't even bother giving them the chance to say something, _no_ , you just _jump them_ without even so much as a 'how do you do, are you looking to eat people?'"

She heard a tiny snicker from behind her and figured she was amusing the one conscious demon. Well, that was fine.

"They _ran away_."

"Well, shit dude, _anyone's_ going to run if you say hello with an energy blast!" she retorted.

She could feel the soft touch of Shuuichi's energy getting closer; it stopped, _he_ stopped, just outside the window she had used as an entrance. Watching, she presumed. Letting her handle it.

"You've _completely_ wreck this place, almost killed humans, almost killed demons who were trying to avoid confrontation, oh, and you pissed me off and ruined my new sweater, so this day isn't going to improve for you unless you actually use your head for something other than a hat rack."

"Oh really?" he sneered, or she thought he did; the facemask made it hard to tell. "And what are you going to do about it?"

It was clear that although Master Genkai's name had given him pause, it hadn't given him _enough_ pause. She had considered just making him frog march away, but his arrogance was pushing entirely too many buttons.

"Well, first I'm going to bounce you around like a pachinko ball, and them I'm going to turn you over to the cops."

"Bring it on, little girl."

"Shuuichi, a little to the left, please?"

She felt him move, pause, then move a little more; it made her smile, even as she rushed in to grab the demon hunter by his shirt and fling him in the direction of the street. The shocked swear made her feel a bit better, as did the thud he made by hitting the pavement.

"Can you patch these three up enough to get them mobile?" she asked.

"I believe so, yes."

"Would you please? I'm gonna play 'bounce the moron' for a couple minutes."

He chuckled a little as she passed, nodded, and headed into the ruins of the shop.

* * *

"Is your mom okay?"

"She's fine. She was very insistent that I return for you once she was a safe distance away," he said, carefully spreading salve over the scrapes on her hand.

"Aw. Ow. Sorry I made her worry. I just couldn't let that idiot keep going. His happy ass half-destroyed a mall, for crying out loud! Over a trio of tourists!"

"And the two blocks between the mall and the cafe were not left unscathed," he added, reaching for the bandages.

"Nope. The cops and the insurance people are going to nail him to the wall," she shook her head a little as he bound not just her hands, but the wrist she'd sprained when she'd thrown the hunter to the ground perhaps a bit _too_ forcefully. "Man, is Master Genkai heard I'd caused that much damage, she'd eat me alive! She's really big on not getting innocents in the line of fire."

"I believe you," and he smiled a little. "Those demons were very put out about the whole thing, though they wanted to thank you for stopping it."

"...despite knocking two of them out?"

"Well, they preferred that to being dead."

Kimiko snorted a little, then winced again as he started on another of the various scrapes she'd collected. The demon hunter might not have been entirely on her level, but he had been a sneaky asshole a few times. Knocking him out without letting him pass the perimeter of emergency vehicles had been a bit of an obnoxious challenge.

"Thanks for... staying out of it."

"You had it handled," he replied calmly. "If you had needed help, I was quite sure you would have asked for it. I am sorry that both the day, and your clothes, were ruined..."

"Well, the day's not over, but yeah. Clothes wrecking is kind of a bummer. All brand new stuff, too."

She glanced ruefully over at the trash bin which held her ruined outfit. She didn't often get pretty things, and now she remembered why. At least one of the EMTs had been nice enough to give her a spare pair of their scrubs.

"Perhaps I could make it up to you?"

"Make up how?"

He'd moved down, now tending one of the gashes on her calf that made her hiss in pain as he washed it out.

"As you've said, the day is not over. There are still shops open; I propose we find you a new outfit, and then... perhaps dinner?"

"...that almost sounds like a date."

He smiled slightly up at her, and she caught a glint of mischief in those green eyes.

"If you feel it fits the label, it could be," he said. "Or it could simply be a friend helping a friend after a day that has not quite gone according to plan. And you must admit, Kimiko-san, this day certainly did not go according to plan."

She had to laugh at that, in rueful agreement. Getting away after handing the hunter to the police had been difficult, attained mostly thanks to Shuuichi causing a blind of rose petals, and there wasn't much either of them could do about whatever footage the media vans had caught.

"Well, all right. But nothing fancy."

"Of course."

* * *

"Kimiko-san. Kimiko-san."

"Mnn?"

Shuuichi smiled a little, softly, wryly. She had insisted that she wasn't worn out by the fight, but sitting on the train had led her right to dozing off against his shoulder. Granted, part of that could have been the late hour as well, but still. She did seem to make an art form of being stubborn about some of the strangest things.

Gently, he shook her again, and this time she cracked open her eyes a little to look up at him.

"Our stop is coming up. Can you stand?"

"Nnnn... yeah..." her voice was low and husky with sleep. "I think so..."

She could, if only just, and he looped a careful arm around her waist to help her walk. She wasn't limping, but she was staggering... mostly just due to pure fatigue, he decided, not because her various injuries were paining her any.

"Do you think you can make it home?"

"...gimme a ten minute nap and some tea, maybe..."

That made him chuckle as he helped her up the stairs.

"Perhaps you should not make the attempt tonight..."

"Couch," she muttered.

"Kimiko-san, you-"

" _Couch_ ," she insisted, lifting her head a little to frown at him.

It was an argument he could _probably_ win if he pushed, but it didn't seem like it was worth that much fuss. At least she was accepting the offer of staying without him having to push _that_.

"All right, all right," he sighed a little, holding his free hand up in surrender. "The couch is yours."

"Good."

She had some of the strangest priorities at times, but that was part of what he liked about her. And really, as long as she was safe, he would be happy. He hadn't _enjoyed_ watching the fight, but he had stayed out of it because she hadn't indicated the need or desire for help. Seeing her get hurt had tested the limits of that... it was something he was going to need to talk to her about at some point.

By the time they reached the flower shop, she was a little more awake. Enough so that she was able to stand on her own while he unlocked the door to let them both in. Watching her gravitate straight towards the couch and collapse on it made him chuckle softly; it was almost a marvel at how quickly she could make herself at home in his space.

By the time he got her a blanket and pillow, she was already fast asleep, which made him shake his head a little. Drawing out the fight, getting injured, and then pretending to be fine for the rest of the day had plainly taken its toll on her. He straightened her out a little on the couch, tucked the pillow carefully under her head—she was either too tired to react, or trusted him to an unexpected degree; she barely stirred when he did—covered her with the blanket, then sought his own bed.

* * *

 _Um... oops? I seriously meant to pick this back up right after NaNo. My bad._


	10. Nine

Nine

"Didn't I tell you it wouldn't go as bad as you worried?" Keiko teased gently.

"...yeah, Kei, did you miss the part where some nutjob blew up the cafe?" Kimiko asked a little sardonically.

"But that wasn't _your_ fault, so it went well," Keiko replied, sipping at her ice cream soda. "And you got a very cute outfit out of it."

"I got a very cute outfit _wrecked_ because of it, and Shuuichi was kind enough to help me find something else," was the retort.

"It's still pretty cute on you."

Kimiko sighed; she couldn't argue with that, but she did feel moderately guilty that he'd paid for it before she could. It wasn't _his_ fault she'd ruined the other one, but he'd replaced it without qualm, and had only smiled at her when she'd tried to protest. And then letting her crash on his couch because she was too tired to make it home...

"Keiko, look, I'm here because you had something _really important_ to tell me and decided that the phone was much too impersonal," she said with strained patience. "We're not here to discuss last week's unmitigated disaster, as amusing as you seem to find it. _What_ is so important, huh?"

Keiko grinned.

"I'm pregnant."

"...what...?"

"I'm pregnant."

Kimiko blinked several times. Took a sip of her soda. It wasn't _unexpected_ , but it certainly felt like it had come out of the blue. After a moment she shook her head to clear it.

"Con...gratulations?" she offered. "I hope for everyone's sake you have a daughter, because a mini-Yuu is kind of terrifying."

That made Keiko laugh.

"Dad's also seriously talking about putting Yusuke in charge of the diner," she continued, appearing to be completely unruffled by Kimiko's admittedly lackluster response. "Mom's all for it, they're both ready for retirement, and we're ready to take over. Or well, I think we are. Yusuke's... Yusuke, and all that."

"No kidding. Hey, how'd he react when you told him?"

"Oh, I haven't told him yet."

"...Keiko, really?"

"I wanted to tell you first!"

"Okay... why?"

"Because someone's got to catch him when he faints," she said matter-of-factly.

Kimiko burst out laughing.

* * *

"He didn't _faint_ , but it was pretty close," Kimiko said as Shuuichi worked on repotting a few plants. "We had to scoot a kitchen chair under him before he fell over. Her parents are thrilled, of course. Yuu's... not so sure, but if Keiko wants to keep the baby, he'll go along with it."

"What do you think?" he asked.

"I'm still somewhere between flattered and exasperated that she insisted on telling me in person and also first, but it _was_ kind of funny. And Yuu's always been good with kids, even though he'll never admit it. So I'm fairly sure he'll be a good parent. And even if he's _not,_ Keiko will be, and I know the Yukimura's will pitch in. He's got a good support system at home. Lord, I wonder how Kaz reacted?" and she grinned at the thought. "Probably freaked as much as Yuu; Keiko's close enough to both of them for that. Pity I missed that."

He chuckled, setting aside the first plant and moving on to the second.

"And work?"

"We're so close to done with all the setting up, thank _all_ the gods, I am so tired. We finished the last of the set up last night, and so we get today and tomorrow off, then reopen properly on Monday. Botan-san said that we should all get an extra day off, but since we can't, we're probably going to get bonuses instead. I admit, I'll be glad to go back to routine store work... Something calm and ordinary for a bit wouldn't go too amiss."

"Especially after that surprise of Keiko-san's."

"Ohhhhh yes. Just something small and more peaceful, please, I promise I won't complain if I'm bored for a week."

Now he laughed, albeit softly. She responded by sticking out her tongue.

"Well, I hope things will calm down for a while as well," he said, smiling faintly. "I have missed talking with you like this."

"Ah..." she blushed a little, and her smile turned shy. He found it rather cute, honestly. "Yeah, I missed talking to you too. And hanging out. Oh, though that reminds me, Koenma-san wanted to know if I knew anyone who'd sell some plants to us as decoration for the store. Nothing overtly scented or brightly colored, just something soothing. I want to stick one over by the incense racks, keep the smell from getting to overpowering, you know?"

Shuuichi nodded thoughtfully, taking in the cautious way her body language had shifted. He knew her well enough now to guess that she would heavily protest against him giving her anything for free; to be fair, he might have if she wanted something new for her apartment, but for her workplace...

"Budget?"

She flashed him a quick smile—plainly he had assumed correctly—then dug into her pocket for a piece of somewhat crumpled paper.

"Mmmm... No more than thirty thousand. I think he was hoping I might get a bundle price for some."

"Do you know what you'd like?"

"Well, a small orchid to sit on the checkout counter would be nice. Mostly stuff that is self contained; like succulents and maybe a couple of shrubs. I have the... layout..."

This time she pulled around the small backpack she used to hold her things when she wasn't wearing a coat with good pockets and started digging through it. Watching her, he tried his best to push away the niggling insistence that he _needed_ to talk to her about perhaps being her partner on demon hunts; he wanted to slide into that conversation carefully to avoid pinching her pride. It meant taking advantage of a turn in conversation... and he'd already missed the first one, simply because he hadn't been able to resist admitting that he had missed spending time with her.

"...damnit, I forgot the layout. And..." she checked her phone, then made a face, "nope, no one's libel to be at the store. Botan-san wanted to, I think, just to make sure everything was all set up, but Koenma-san overruled her, and said he wanted to enjoy this last free weekend before being buried in papers again."

"Well, you were the one to come up with it, yes? Can you sketch it out for me? Or would you rather look at the plants and we can see how many you might be able to get as a bundle."

"No undercharging," she warned, poking him in the arm gently. "You work hard at this, and we can afford it."

Shuuichi only smiled.

* * *

Getting back into the swing of working after spending so much time relaxed was more difficult than Kimiko had anticipated, but the larger store, and the new layout of everything seemed to be quite popular. That first week they were kept hopping as people needed to reorient to both the grander size, and the new items that could be displayed. There were, as ever, the grumpy customers, the ones who found fault with everything, but there were also the curious customers, and the pleasant ones. A whole slew of regulars came as well, pleased as punch by the new renovations and the new stock.

She did manage to snatch an evening with Shuuichi that first week, but it was a short one, made shorter by him noticing her fatigue and shooing her firmly on home. The following was a little less manic... but only a little. And it ended with a letter that bore a familiar energy signature. She kicked off her shoes and dropped her takeout on the small kotatsu she'd hauled out now that it was getting colder at night, then plopped down to read it.

 _Kimiko_

 _I hope you've enjoyed your vacation! Good work on the unexpected clash last week with that maverick hunter—who knows what wood pile_ that _one crawled out of, but you were right to stop him. Perhaps a bit harsh, but what's done is done. He certainly won't be showing his face for a while, which is probably a good thing._

 _Unfortunately, vacation is over, and the news we have for you isn't very good; you are being specifically called out this time, by a trio of demons that are known as The Triad. They have said they will wait one day from the day you get this letter, at the forested park nearest to your apartment complex, and that if you didn't come to them, they would hunt you... and hurt anyone who got in the way._

 _We know only a little about them, and even less about the person who employs them, but what we have gleaned so far leads us to believe that this is not going to be a fight easily won. To that end, we recommend that you call Master Genkai and get help from her, your demon friends, or both. We'd prefer you to have at least one person capable of backing you up. More would be better._

Kimiko paused there, feeling somewhere between hurt and insulted. If she was specifically being called out, then by that logic, it was _her_ fight. _And_ she had been wearing the Spirit Cuffs since early August; September was almost over, and she certainly felt that she'd gotten stronger. It didn't take effort to stay fully powered and masked any longer.

Besides, if she only had one day, there wasn't really enough time to call Master Genkai and get her to talk to the boys. The call would be fast, but the conversation would be several hours of waiting at best, and then them _arriving_ would take longer. It would be easier, faster, to simply handle it herself.

A stray thought whispered that she might ask Shuuichi, but she flattened it firmly; he was her friend, most assuredly, but surely he wouldn't want to be dragged into this aspect of her life. Bad enough he kept having to patch her up...

Another stray thought pointed out that she was acting exactly as her brother would if he were called out. She ignored that one too, with a bit more difficulty.

No, the best way to handle this was on her own. If it got too dicey, she'd release the Spirit Cuffs, and go arrange a time to get them replaced after. She had taken on a human hunter and gotten out alive, after all! Nodding a little to herself, she returned to the letter.

 _We have managed to glean some information about the three that might make it easier for you and your friends to handle. Not a lot, but our sources have given up a few useful points._

 _Miyuki is a demoness that can turn her hair into a weapon; most typically, she uses it to strangle her enemies. It's been suggested that getting in close, as fast as possible, is a good way to keep her from being successful._

 _Gokumonki is a cross-bred demon with some kyuonki in him; enough to make him very large and tough. He's slow, but that doesn't mean much when a single punch can produces a devastating shockwave of displaced air. And when we say large, we mean_ large _. At best guess, he's close to ten, maybe eleven feet in height, and that tetsubo he uses is close to the same length. It goes without saying that you should avoid letting him hit you. Expect some kyukoni toughness, and plan accordingly._

 _For the last, Inmaki is a small and swift demon that uses a pair of iron gloves. It's been whispered that he maintains invisibility using some part of his clothing, but what, we're not certain._

 _While individually, we have no doubts that you could take them on and easily win, all together they cover for one another's weaknesses and we stress again the importance of bringing backup. We don't want this to be our last letter to you, Kimiko, so we hope you'll take the advice._

 _Good luck. Hopefully by taking them out, you'll be able to cement at least your territory as a place that is safe for those who only seek to see, and not for those who look to cause harm_

 _~KEJ~_

Kimiko folded the letter back up after taking out the check and sticking it in a safe place; it was too late to deposit it now, and she had to get ready for a fight that would plainly be fairly one-sided. First, of course, she had to eat, and while she ate the logic of the letter overrode her pride; her employer/adviser/friend had never given her _bad_ advice before. And three-on-one odds were blatantly unfair, especially if, as the letter stated, the three could cover for each others' weaknesses.

After tossing out the empty takeout boxes, she sighed, and called Master Genkai. As she'd feared, however, the old woman didn't pick up, and she was forced to leave a message instead.

"Master, I've got an unfair fight, and not a lot of time, so I hope you get this soon. If I don't respond by the end of tomorrow, they are going to come after me, and hurt anyone between them _and_ me. So I'm going to go tonight... If you get back soon, get Jin and the rest; Jin knows where the park close to my apartment is, considering that's where he almost got killed when I found him the first time. That's where I'll be. Hopefully. I may have to unlock the Cuffs if it's as difficult as the letter says. I don't... I don't plan on losing, Master. But. Y'know, just in case. Thanks. For everything."

She hung up, and could only hope that Master Genkai would get the message quickly. _Almost_ she called Shuuichi; he was a strong fighter, and his whip could certainly even the odds... but no. It was late, he had a store to run in the morning, and he'd lived his life flying _under_ the radar of both demons and demon hunters. She couldn't use his friendship, his affection for her, to pull him into her insanity.

At least she had everything else prepared for if she _did_ end up biting the big one. Now it was just up to her to avoid doing that, because she knew just how many people would be upset if she did.

She took in a long, slow breath, then let it out, taking stock of herself. She was nervous, and vaguely anticipatory; standard pre-fight reactions. She wouldn't kill them if she could avoid it... and as always, she hoped that it could be avoided, but reminded herself that it may well be necessary.

She shed her day clothes, and frowned thoughtfully at her small selection of choices; like it or not, after this fight she was probably going to need to take some time to go properly clothes shopping. The idea made her grimace, even as she pulled on her last pair of leggings and the least beat up of her tanktops. Maybe if she took Shizuru and Keiko both, it wouldn't seem like such a chore.

It took some digging to find the bracers Yusuke had given her for their last birthday; May felt so far away in either direction now... She slipped them on, adjusting them carefully. Despite having had them for several months, she hadn't actually _worn_ them. They did make her smile though; only Yusuke would think of getting her something like this for their birthday.

She picked up her small backpack, thought for a few minutes, then pulled out the first aid kit and refilled it. After tossing it back in, she rolled up some spare clothes to tuck in there, threw in her wallet and a pair of dented metal water bottles. Her phone and keys went into the windbreaker that was her concession to the cooler night air; with luck, she'd be able to get at the phone quickly if she absolutely needed it.

Assuming, of course, she remembered to take the jacket off and not break the phone...

She gave her apartment a once-over, admittedly stalling in the hopes that Master Genkai would call while she did. But the landline and her cell both remained silent, so after tightly braiding her hair and pinning it up, Kimiko headed out to get her fight done and over with.

* * *

Shuuichi didn't need the phone to wake him up in the middle of the night; the minute he'd felt that clash of powers within range, he'd been aware. He was, in fact, halfway dressed when the phone rang. He wanted to ignore it, to hurry to where Kimiko was fighting, but people didn't randomly call in the middle of the night...

"Minamino residence."

"Minamino Shuuichi, you have recently been spending time in the company of one Urameshi Kimiko. If you wish to _keep_ doing that, I suggest you head over to the park at your best speed, otherwise she is libel to get killed."

The voice was unfamiliar; a crisp, high tenor that carried overtones of concern, a bit of anger, and a subtle undertone of someone used to being an authority figure. Despite the fact that it sounded more warning than threat, Shuuichi couldn't help but bristle.

"Who is this?" he demanded.

"Someone who cares very deeply for the continued life and well-being of one of the best fighters and human world protectors this lifetime has seen. Now go!"

The dial tone was the next thing Shuuichi heard; he ended the call and tossed the cordless phone onto the couch as he rushed back to his room to finish getting dressed.

Even as he did, his mind remained calm and clear, picking through the meager facts from what he could sense; Kimiko seemed to be fighting three others, her energy maybe only a few degrees stronger than theirs. Whoever had called him had done so in genuine concern _for_ her, which meant that she was in over her head and not in a position to do it herself.

The minute he was out the door, he didn't bother with taking to the streets. Instead, he jumped to the nearest roof, and kept going from there, mentally blessing the fact that this area of shops were all of similar height.

The part of his mind not trying to calculate how to help Kimiko was quietly upset; surely she trusted him enough to call him if she was going to head into a difficult fight and needed help. Why hadn't she? He was her friend; as far as he could tell he was the one person outside her master that she would discuss fights with in detail.

So why?

A peripheral field surrounded the park, and so did several police vehicles, no doubt called by the commotion coming from the forested interior. The humans didn't seem to be able to get through, which was probably all the better for them... After circling carefully away from the cars and the growing crowd, he found an unblocked entrance, and pushed his way through. It felt rather like pushing through exceptionally dense undergrowth, but with persistence, he made it in.

Commotion aside, the actual amount of damage wasn't so bad... though maybe that was because he'd come into the part of the park that house the play area for children; Kimiko _was_ nobly foolish enough to refuse to break playground equipment, he knew.

He ran towards the fight, thorn whip in hand; the closer he got, the more damage appeared. Large divots in the ground from energy blasts and some type of heavy, spiked weapon; trees were burned or bore gashes that had to have come from exceptionally sharp claws of some sort, and here and there he saw thin strands of silvery-lavender hair. He scented no blood, at least for the moment, for which he was profoundly grateful.

The fight was well in progress when he did find it, and he hung back for a moment to take stock of what was happening; he had sparred _against_ Kimiko, they had never fought in tandem. He didn't want to rush in and ruin whatever attack she might be making.

Of the four energy signatures, he could easily identify three; he watched Kimiko dive for cover away from a whip and a tetsubo, and was forced to duck behind a tree to avoid the shockwave from the latter weapon. The whip-wielding demoness swore a little at her much bigger, heftier companion as his attack staggered her as well. The last signature he couldn't see immediately, though he could certainly sense them, and he heard Kimiko yelp and scramble for a new spot, indicating that this third demon had a means of rendering themself invisible. That one would be the hardest to manage.

First, though, he needed to buy some time, make some cover. This part of the park was heavily forested, perhaps if he laid down a covering fog...

* * *

Kimiko had been wrong before, but this was the first time she'd been wrong enough to think she might actually _die_ from it. It had been mostly luck and a slightly superior speed that had kept her from any serious injuries... and she also had a strange sense that something was off in this fight. Something that allowed her to keep that precious hair ahead.

Not that she could focus too hard on that while trying to stay ahead of an invisible, metal-claw-using demon. The whip was annoying, but surmountable; the tetsubo, even its shockwave, was too slow to actually be much of a threat. The little, fast, _invisible_ bastard and his claws though? Those could kill her in an unprotected moment.

The fog that sprang up with thick, and unexpected; she could hear Gokumonki complaining about not being able to see a foot in front of his face, followed by Miyuki yelping as he plainly almost stepped on her to prove his point. It wasn't a cold fog, so that ruled out any chance that it might be Toya and the rest to the—unfortunate—rescue... had she somehow gotten an ally?

She cast her senses out briefly, and realized with a jolt of shock that Shuuichi was there; logically that meant this fog was his. Her heart managed to both lift and sink at the same time. He was bound to be _very_ upset at her for this... but it was good to have help.

As quietly as she could, she eased back through the undergrowth, keeping her senses on high alert for the last demon; Inmaki's speed and invisibility were the worst offenders at the moment, and she needed at least one of those traits curtailed. Preferably the invisibility.

Luck was with her; she felt his energy drawing back towards the other two, allowing her to make for Shuuichi's position unmolested.

The disapproving look in his eyes made her wince; she had the sense that she was going to be read the riot act at some point, and he was well within his rights as her friend to do so. She just had to hope that he would be willing to wait until _after_ the fight to scold.

"Tell me what's going on," he murmured.

Internally she let out a sigh of relief; temporary reprieve from being in trouble was much appreciated.

"There's three of them; Miyuki is the one who turns her hair into a whip, Gokumoki is the one using the tetsubo, and then Inmaki is the little bastard giving me the worst trouble; his cloak makes him invisible when he's all wrapped up in it, and he's a bit faster than I am. It's not the speed that's the problem, it's that _stupid_ cape of his."

She wasn't quite sure how she'd managed to not take a hit yet, but somehow, she'd maintained a lucky streak; the worst she had were some nicks from flying debris.

"Well, I have evened the odds somewhat by making it more difficult for them to see us. It won't last for long if they realize how to get rid of it, but for the moment, it should allow us the element of surprise. Inmaki sounds like he needs to be trapped to be dealt with. What about the other two?"

"I think if we can split them up, they won't be so hard. Gokumonki's twtsubo is too easily telegraphed. Same with Miyuki and her whip, though I think I'd like to avoid a tug of war..."

"...they haven't withdrawn, but they also haven't tried to push through the smokescreen," he said after a moment, lifting his head a little. "Let us turn the tables on them. I will ensnare Inmaki, if you can work to separate the other two."

Kimiko nodded, and darted out from behind the cover, deliberately making as much noise as possible to draw attention. Behind her, she could sense Shuuichi setting up for something, but pulled her mind away; if he needed additional help, he would have said something... right?

Unfortunately while the fog worked as a cover for her, it _also_ worked as a cover for the trio of demons, and it especially loaned itself to Inmaki's brand of trickery. Which she walked _right_ into.

* * *

Shuuichi's head snapped up as he heard Kimiko cry out in surprise and pain; the smell of blood was quick to lace the air, as did her very frustrated curses.

"Get _back_ here you little shit, I'm going to turn you into a target!"

He sighed a little to himself; despite what she might claim, sometimes she seemed just as impulsive as the brother she told stories about. Well, one way or another, she'd lead Inmaki into his trap, but with her bleeding, the plants might very well try and go for her as well.

There wasn't much choice to be had, unforrtunately, and he could hear the two remaining demons moving around now, responding to the sound of Kimiko's voice. The ground heaved violently as Gokumonki's tetsubo slammed hard into the ground, and the shockwave dispersed a good portion of his smokescreen, forcing him to take to the branches of the standing trees.

"Gokumonki, watch where you're aiming!" snapped an unfamiliar feminine voice.

"Sorry Miyuki."

"Hmph. Well. Do it again. Your shockwave will clear this annoying blinder for us."

Shuuichi found another tree, this one closer to the pair. Not necessarily the wise position when dealing with a shockwave, but if Inmaki was going to target Kimiko—and he could hear her scrambling in the nearby brush, plainly trying to avoid both the invisible demon and the tetsubo's shockwave—then he was going to have to ease this part of the problem.

The tetsubo was lifted, swung... and Shuuichi's thorn whip sliced neatly through the handle, throwing the demon off-balance. The heavy spiked head of the club went crashing off into the trees, and there was a solid crunch as it made it into the brick wall surrounding the park; Shuuichi winced a little, and decided to pretend that had been part of the plan. Gokumonki ended up face-first in the dirt; before he could recover, Shuuichi had launched the next part of his attack.

Jumping over the pair—Miyuki looking around in angry bewilderment—Shuuichi scattered a handful of seeds to either side of the giant demon. Even before he landed, the vine seeds had put down roots and had snapped over the prone body of Gokumonki, pinning him bodily to the ground; when the demon started to struggle, the vines grew thorns. It wasn't the thorns that were the threat, however, it was the potent knock-out drug that theyexuded.

Gokumonki did not struggle for very long once those thorns pierced his hide.

When he turned, Miyuki was ready with a long, lavender-blue whip made from her hair and demon energy. He hadn't planned on tackling her, wishing more to set up for taking out Inmaki... but when she lashed out,he countered, and the battle was joined.

* * *

Kimiko's streak of luck had run out. Inmaki's attack—which she had stupidly run into—had gouged a good chunk out of her hide; blood dribbled freely down her back and shoulder, and her left arm was essentially useless for fighting. It would _heal_ , but she couldn't do that at the moment, not with the speedy, invisible bastard hard on her heels.

At least when Gokumonki's shockwave had hit, it had sent Inmaki flying almost as much as her. That had bought her precious moments to at least seal the worst of the injury. But if she didn't wrap this up soon, it would be _Shuuichi_ against a trio of difficult demons, and what would that say about her abilities then?

She snugged herself back against a tree, doing her best to avoid getting blood on the bark, and half-closed her eyes in a bid to concentrate. This particular asshole was fast, his cloak made him invisible, those claws made him deadly. The open terrain worked in his favor too.

The open terrain...

Kimiko blinked. Then smirked. Now that was an idea. She just needed the extra energy to pullit off.

She looked down at her wrists, then gave a mental shrug and apology to her master.

"Avitus," she whispered.

The golden cuffs shattered as though they had never existed, and a renewed strength came rushing in. It also had the unfortunate effect of lighting her up to the senses like she was a Christmas tree, something she knew no enemy would hesitate to take advantage of; as the spirit energy flowed through her, she took off running, heading for the part of the park that held buildings.

She hated leaving Shuuichi behind, but she had to trust that he would be all right on his own.

* * *

It was fortunate enough that the unexpected burst of power from Kimiko threw both Shuuichi and Miyuki from their fighting; _un_ fortunately,Miyuki recovered first,and the tip of her whip slashed sharply across his chest, shredding his shirt and knocking him backwards. A thin red line of blood trickled from the gash; most of the force had been used up tearing through the heavy silk, leaving him only barely injured.

He managed to turn the fall into a backflip, gaining a shade more distance from her. But no, that wasn't the way to handle this fight. Like him, she fought from a distance, and used leverage to make up the difference in strength against her opponent. To that end, he was going to have to get in closer. Or maybe...

Shuuichi shifted his grip on his whip, and started twirling it in circles, altering the flow of his energy slightly. The breeze he swiftly produced became laced with razor-edged rose petals and thorns; Miyuki yelped and brought her arms up to shield her face from his attack.

In that moment, with her guard dropped, he lunged in, and his fist met her diaphragm.

* * *

Getting Inmaki to follow her hadn't been the problem. Avoiding his attacks while he _did,_ however, was. While she had managed to avoid any severely punishing blows, her arms were a cross-hatch of shallow scores, some bleeding sluggishly as she directed her energy away from healing. She needed to take this punk _out_.

But man, it was going to suck hearing the reports on this one... And Master Genkai was _definitely_ going to let her have it.

Kimiko sighed a little, then lifted her head as Inmaki's energy entered the corridor. She filled her hand with lavender energy, smirked, and fired off a blast of energy that filled the entire hallway; he went sailing into the wall, his cloak shredding away under the multiple blasts of energy.

The wall was fairly beat up too, and Kimiko tried not to notice; damaging a public landmark was going to get so much press...

When the lavender light faded to reveal the demon again, he simply fell face down onto the wooden floor, his cloak in tatters. Warily she watched, then edged closer; she could still _sense_ him, so he wasn't dead... but when she poked him with her foot, he didn't react. Carefully, ready for him to spring up and go for her throat, she rolled him over with her foot.

"...out like a light. Thank _god_."

* * *

Shuuichi breathed a faintly relieved sigh as Kimiko returned, bearing Inmaki's unconscious body over her good shoulder. That blast of energy had worried him, given him pause in the middle of tying up the barely conscious Miyuki. But with the defeat of all three demons, the peripheral field would soon dissolve; it wouldn't do to leave the demons where the humans could find them.

"They're not dead, are they?" she asked pensively.

"No, though I fear they are quite dangerous, and I worry about your ideal of mercy."

He saw her flinch out of the corner of one eye.

"Shuuichi, I-"

"First we must find a way to return them to the demon realm," he said. "Then we can discuss what should have happened."

"I... all right. I can't do portals. Can you?"

"Not off the cuff, no, but I know there is an area in this park where one can be made without a lot of effort. It may still be open."

She nodded,then looked dubiously at Gokumonki.

"How're we moving him?"

Shuiichi nodded slightly at the vines, whose thorns had vanished. Now, they only bound Gokumonki's arms to his sides; a necessary precaution with a demon of his size and strength.

"The drug should wear off in a few moments, given his size. He can walk himself."

She looked surprised, then vaguely concerned. But whatever she was thinking, she kept to herself, and he found himself wishing he hadn't been quite so short with her. She placed Inmaki carefully on the ground, then retrieved a windbreaker and her backpack, carefully slinging both over her uninjured shoulder.

Fortunately, Gokumonki did not take very long to come around, and the fight seemed to have gone out of him completely. He plodded along ahead of Shuuichi, Miyuki on one shoulder, Inmaki on the other, to the portal area that Shuuichi knew of. Getting it open was just a matter of willpower, and once they were on the other side, it snapped shut, dissolving into a crackle of sparks. Overhead, the peripheral field that had kept the humans from interfering, or being caught in the fight, faded out.

"...would you join me for some tea?" he asked, his voice polite and calm once more. "I'd also like to take a look at your shoulder."

"Okay..."

They had to get around the humans who, with the field down, were now cautiously entering the park in an attempt to figure out just what the hell had happened at this hour of the night, and by the time they reached the flower shop, he could see that Kimiko was dragging from injuries and exhaustion both.

He started the tea, then ushered her into a chair so that he could tend to the wounds she hadn't been able to heal.

"...You'll feel better if you just yell at me," she said, a little glumly into the strained silence.

"I don't want to yell at you," he sighed a little. "But I find myself having to ask if you _enjoy_ causing people concern."

She flinched, and it had nothing to do with the medicine he was carefully smearing over her shoulder.

"Why didn't you call me before you started that fight, Kimiko-san?"

She hung her head a little, then hissed as it pulled on injured skin.

"I... I guess I just wanted you to be safe," she said softly. "You... you've tried to go unnoticed by demons and demon hunters your whole life. It didn't seem... fair of me to ask you for help. And I thought..."

"You thought.." he prompted when she remained silent for several moments.

"I thought I could do it on my own. I've taken out multiple enemies before, and I've been training for ten years, plus there were the Spirit Cuffs that Master Genkai put on me. But..." she sighed and made a face. "I forgot that there's a difference between random demons who only group together out of luck, and those who're trained to fight alongside one another and cover each others faults."

Now it was his turn to sigh as he carefully taped a gauze pad into place.

"Kimiko," and he felt her jolt as he left off the honorific for the first time. "I would have preferred you to ask for my help instead of waking up and knowing that you were in a hard fight."

He saw no point in mentioning the phone call; he had already been preparing to go to her even before he had received that particular impetus to move faster.

Shuuichi moved around to tend to her arms, then looked up into her face; guilt, and a resigned sort of unhappiness. Amethyst-colored eyes, tear bright though she was refusing to let them fall, and a set to her chin that suggested her was gritting her teeth a little.

He reached up, gently cupped one cheek. She flinched at first, but when he did nothing more than keep his hand against her skin, her eyes finally met his.

"If you need my help, _for anything_ , I want to know," he said firmly. "You need a partner sometimes, Kimiko. And I have, perhaps, been too passive in this life. I _want_ to help you. Please. Will you let me?"

Watching her expressive face, feeling the way her jaw muscles shifted, he knew she was struggling with a multitude of complicated emotions. He couldn't force her to accept his help, but he hoped she'd be reasonable; if she told him no, he was libel to end up following her everywhere whenever she went out late at night, just to reassure himself.

It was better, he decided, than spending a sleepless night feeling her fight, and not knowing if she would be walking away.

"Are... are you sure?" she finally asked, her voice almost meek.

"Yes."

The simple answer seemed to reassure her, and after a moment she nodded. Very lightly, his thumb caressed her cheek, before he pulled his hand away and returned to tending her wounds.


	11. Ten

Ten

"And here I thought your _brother_ was the dimwit," Genkai said acidly.

Kimiko could only smile sheepishly at her master; knowing full well that she deserved this scolding too. While her injuries had not been bad enough to keep her from going home, or doing her more mundane job, the fact that she had incurred them at all was what upset her master. Though it would be like pulling teeth to make her admit it, Kimiko knew that Master Genkai thought of her as family, a loved—if painfully stupid at times—child, or grandchild.

"At least I called you before you made the trip?" she offered.

"Hmph. Next time, don't be so foolish as to think you have no nearby allies."

"Yes, master. I'm not sure he'll let me forget it."

There was a faint sound of amusement behind her; Shuuichi had not intervened in the scolding, but when she'd told him that she was going to be visiting Genkai, he'd volunteered to come with. Kimiko didn't doubt that he was being entertained by their interactions, as well as feeling vindicated for his own concern.

"At least I caught you before you came in, guns blazing?" she offered.

" _Hmph,_ " was Genkai's opinion on that.

Kimiko sighed, and shrugged a little.

"I was kind of backed into a corner, Master," she pointed out. "I didn't know if you'd be there in time, and the trains had already stopped for the night. And they called _me_ out, me specifically, on a limited time period. I _had_ to go."

"Once we had them separated, they presented less of a challenge," Shuuichi said quietly. "It was getting them separated that was the difficult part."

"I was keeping ahead of them up until after the smokescreen gave cover," and she reached over and lightly poked Shuuichi in the side. "Even _with_ Inmaki being a little invisible shit."

"The smokescreen allowed you a chance to breathe," he replied, and she picked up the faintest hint of a teasing note in his voice. "To plan instead of react."

"You mean that plan that immediately went out the window when Inmaki finally hit me?"

It was his turn to wince a little; really, it hadn't been his fault, she'd just run out of luck. But if he was going to tease her, she was going to poke right back.

"You managed to pay him back for that," he pointed out.

"Uh huh. And the smokescreen _did_ help," she allowed with a faint tip of her head. "How'd you make that, anyways?"

"It's a compound of mold dust; non-toxic. I came up with it in... a previous life, to give myself an edge."

The wording made her curious. What sort of previous life would necessitate the creation of something like _that?_

"...well, at least your dimwitted self is in one piece," Genkai groused. "You're hardly going to get anywhere if you keep removing your training devices, though."

"Yes, master," Kimiko said tolerantly. "That's the other reason I came up here, because I had to do that."

The additional power was _very_ helpful, but she had the feeling that it wasn't what Genkai wanted it to be.

"Well,stand up then, and let me put them back on you," the old woman said. "You've still got a ways to go before you're ready for the actual next step of your training."

Whatever that was,Kimiko was sure it was going to hurt; _all_ of Master Genkai's teachings hurt at some point, even the healing ones. Sometimes especially the healing ones. But she obediently got to her feet, and allowed her master to reapply the Spirit Cuffs; they snapped her arms and legs together with enough force to nearly have her falling over, and she heard a sound of repressed amusement from Shuuichi again.

"These feel stronger than the first time," she grumbled as she struggled to get her arms and legs apart.

"Well of course they do," Genkai retorted, dropping back down into a seated position. " _You're_ stronger. Now, tell me about the fight, in detail."

* * *

"...the more I think about it, the more it feels wrong, somehow," Kimiko concluded, chin in hand. "Like... I dunno, like it was meant to be some kind of power test or something. But I don't know who'd set that up. I mean, if _you_ want to test me, you just order me up here and proceed to beat the crap out of me."

She grinned at Genkai, who snorted, but also smiled.

"Yes, I got that sense as well," Shuuichi nodded a little. "Miyuki was only interested in attacking me because I attacked her and Gokumonki first."

"And when he blindsided me in the fog, Inmaki could have easily killed me," she said soberly. "Instead he just tore open my shoulder. He always seemed to come from a direction I could _dodge_ , too. I mean, we were in pretty open terrain, but he never tried to back me into a tree, or even his buddies."

"I've heard of the Triad," Genkai said with a faint frown. "They're part of a larger group known as the Apparition Gang. I've heard they don't often hire out to take on demon hunters; shake other demons down for 'protection' money, yes, but even the most violent demons don't generally go out of their way to call someone out."

Shuuichi glanced over at Kimiko, who had a thoughtfully concerned expression on her face.

"It may be that someone _is_ testing you," he said after a moment, startling her. "Though to what end, we aren't yet meant to know."

"I don't like mysteries," the two women said in unison.

He blinked, and stifled a smile; while he could hardly blame either of them, that had been amusing. But it wouldn't do for them to think he was laughing _at_ them, so he made himself nod soberly.

"I'll pass on the information to the boys," Genkai said. "They'll spread the word to the other demons who are friendly in this area, and we'll drag this mystery into the light whether it likes it or not."

"I can maybe ask Botan-san or Yukina-chan," Kimiko said doubtfully. "Botan-san's unaffiliated, but she hears a lot of rumors and gossip, and maybe Yukina-chan will have heard something. Everyone _loves_ talking to her."

"And how are you handling paying for the park?" Genkai asked.

" _Quietly_ ," Kimiko said with a grimace.

"I went back after the police and the press vacated the area, and managed to help with most of the damage done to the earth and trees," Shuuichi said, allowing himself a faint smile of amusement. "The surveyors were very confused by that, but it wasn't too hard."

"I donated that first check to the cafe that got destroyed by that idiot, and then the second one went to the fund that the city set up to pay for the repairs," Kimiko sighed a little. "And believe me, the letter that came with _that_ check was just as annoyed with me as you are."

Genkai snickered mercilessly at her student's expense.

"Good. At least you take responsibility for the damage caused by your fight. Did you ever find out who that fool was?"

"Nope. But I certainly put the fear of _me_ into him."

And Kimiko smirked just a little bit.

"And ruined a lovely outfit."

Her smirk became a scowl, aimed directly at him; Shuuichi just blinked innocently at her, not even bothering to hide his amusement.

"You hush."

This time, Genkai snickered at both of them.

* * *

"-and so then...Sis. Kimikooo... Earth to Kimiko, come in."

She startled a little, then blinked owlishly at Yusuke, who just snorted at her.

"Look, I know it's not exactly the most exciting thing, but c'mon," he complained.

"Ah, sorry, Yuu... I've just run up against a problem that I can't quite solve."

He blinked, and the irritation faded into concern.

"You okay? Nobody's threatening you are they?"

She couldn't help but laugh.

"Who in their right mind would mess with _me?_ " she asked wryly. "Physically, I can put pretty much anyone one the ground."

"...yeah, okay, that's true, but you're not usually this much of a space case. What's going on?"

"Nothing, really... I'm just trying to figure something out."

It had been a couple weeks now, September scooting quietly into October. No one had heard _anything_ about who might have hired the Triad to attack her, and she was actually starting to wonder if maybe they hadn't been wrong about it being some type of test.

"Well, don't strain your brain on it or anything. I need _someone_ around who's not going baby-crazy on me."

"Ba... oh, yeah. So, Keiko's suffering hormones, then?"

Yusuke leaned back in the cafe chair with a groan.

"That's putting it _lightly_. I mean, it's not like I can't handle it, but her folks are pampering her, I'm getting all _sorts_ of weird food requests, and even Mom's getting in on the act! She keeps watching me like I'm gonna bail on Keiko or something, the way the old fart bailed on us!"

"...well, in Mom's defense, we don't exactly have a ton of good role models," Kimiko pointed out. "But she has to know that if you bolted, everyone would track you down and kick your ass~"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, sis."

"You're welcome~"

He glared at her for a moment as she laughed; then sulkily took a drink of his coffee.

"So what _is_ up, anyways? Things going okay other than you over-thinking whatever problems you've got?"

"I am _not_ over-thinking anything," she huffed.

"Really? That's a first. What about things with you and Shuuichi?"

"What about them?"

"Well, are you guys hanging out and stuff?"

She rolled her eyes tolerantly.

"Yes. That's what friends _do_ , Yuu, they hang out every once in a while. If you're talking about dates..." Kimiko thought for a minute, then shrugged. "I guess? I mean, we've never really called them that. We just... hang out. Talk. Sometimes argue. Nothing very interesting."

"Uh huh. And he's not one of the things you're over-thinking?"

"Yuu, I can still trot out _all_ the embarrassing things that you kept from Keiko," she said sweetly. "It's none of your business."

True, she had begun to think lately that she might be okay with calling some of their hang outs dates... but saying as much to Shuuichi? Hadn't quite happened.

"Well, then what _is_ bothering you?"

She looked at her brother's stubborn expression and sighed a little; Yusuke could be as stubborn as a rock when he wanted to be, it just had to be worth his time. And really, hadn't she _wanted_ Yusuke to know more about her life? Maybe not as a kid, but with the two of them older and more—relatively, anyways—mature, she no longer worried as much about being judged by his actions.

"...It's a long story."

"Well, I sure as hell don't want to go home right now; Keiko was talking about rearranging our half of the upstairs and I'll pass on getting pressed into work."

She couldn't help but laugh.

"You're such an asshole, Yuu," she said fondly.

"Well, yeah, but I'm an _awesome_ asshole."

"...nnnnooo, sometimes you're just an asshole. But we love you anyways."

He stuck his tongue out at her, and she responded in kind.

"So?" he insisted. "What's going down?"

"All right, it's like this..."

* * *

"He took the whole story a lot better than I thought he would," she admitted, watching as Shuuichi sorted through some pots. "He was a bit annoyed that I never said anything when we were kids, but once he got over it, he listened pretty well."

"I'm glad that worked out for you," and he smiled at her faintly. "Do you now worry about what he'll do?"

She snorted, and shrugged with a wry grin.

"It's Yusuke. Of course I worry. But he's not likely to do anything stupid; for one thing, he's got Keiko and the baby's lives to think about. For another, I told him some of the heavier training I went through with Genkai to get as strong as I am, and he immediately said, and I _quote_ , "what kind of bullshit training is _that_?""

Now he laughed, and the sound warmed her subtly.

"He did agree that the fight sounded way to simple to be anything _but_ a test, but he knows Master Genkai's not the type, and he doesn't like what that implies any more than you or her."

"You have heard nothing, then?"

"Nope," and she sighed, leaning back against the bench. "Both Botan-san and Yukina-chan have been listening, but nothing's come through that might indicate any sort of useful knowledge. And when I talked to Master Genkai last night, she said the boys hadn't found anything yet either. Jin, apparently has been flitting all over the place trying to find something out. I guess he was pretty upset about what happened..."

"He does seem to care about you quite a bit."

"He's kind of like my brother in that way," and she couldn't help but make a slight face. "Nosy busybody... though at least he's more open about what he's feeling."

"It's good you have people to care about you."

"Even though they're miles and miles away, I know," she smiled ruefully, than sighed. "What about you? Have you heard anything?"

"Unfortunately, the sort of people I am around don't think much about the demons in their midst unless they have to. I have heard many wild, conflicting stories about what happened to the park, of course."

Kimiko winced. Repairs _were_ proceeding nicely, but still...

"Well, I thought I'd ask. So, why _did_ you specifically ask me to come instead of waiting for me to drop around at random as usual?"

"Ah, yes. I wanted to ask you something, actually. What would you say to something along the lines of an emergency beacon, for if one of us became ensnared in a dangerous fight too quickly to use a phone?"

"An emergency beacon?" She leaned forward curiously. "Like what?"

"Well, I had thought about asking you to carry a flower with you, wherever you go," and he smiled at her, in a manner she recognized as him teasing her, "but you need to do too much with your hands to make that a feasible option."

She made a face at him.

"Nor do many of your outfits contain pockets."

"...geh. Thanks for reminding me that I need to go clothes shopping. I'd rather not."

He chuckled a little, and came to sit next to her.

"While I can certainly track you by your energy, you are fond of your masking technique, and that means I don't know if you're in trouble until you stop dampening down your power," he continued. "Given that I would like to prevent you coming to harm, I asked an old friend who does enchanting on the side if he'd be willing to make me something."

She nodded, more curious than anything else; while she had agreed to him being her partner, she had to admit that sometimes fights _did_ spring up without warning. And her phone still had a nasty habit of getting broken in fights because she forgot to take it out of her pockets.

Shuuichi offered her a small wooden box of the sort that contained jewelry. She popped it open and blinked thoughtfully.

"Earrings?"

Earrings it was, shaped and colored like sakura, with a discreet yellow stone at the center of each. They were very pretty, even delicate... And they looked like they'd been expensive.

"It was the most sensible item I could think of that you might be able to keep close without it getting turned against you," he replied, and fished briefly under his shirt, coming up with a matching pendant on a black cord. "Given that you seem to predominantly fight in tanktops, a necklace would be too easy for someone to grab; rings and bracelets could all too easily cause injury."

She made a face at him, to which he only chuckled.

"In any case, the enchantment wasn't difficult to procure. If you find yourself in danger, simply squeeze one of the petals on either earring. It will alert me to the trouble you are facing, and I will come swiftly."

"And it works the same in reverse, right?"

He nodded.

"Though I am not as likely as you are to get randomly jumped," he nudged her gently, and she nudged back, smiling wryly, "it would be remiss of me to not have it a reciprocal enchantment."

"So it's a one off call?" she asked, carefully trading her usual plain studs for the new earrings.

"Something like that. My friend likened it to someone pulling at your hand for attention. We should be able to find one another with minimal effort once it's active. And they will deactivate once we are within thirty meters of each other."

It was Kimiko's turn to nod as she closed the box and stuck it into her coat pocket; she wasn't big on jewelry, but her previous earrings had been one of the few birthday gifts from her mother that she'd actually _liked_.

"Thanks, Shuuichi. For... y'know..."

Before she could turn too shy, he gave her a light hug, which she was more than willing to return.

"It eases my mind, as much as it is a gift for you," he admitted. "Because you have to admit, you _are_ prone to getting rather randomly jumped."

She could only laugh in agreement.

* * *

Several days passed quietly; work was busy, but not painfully so, and fall was decidedly taking hold of the city. Trees were shedding their green leaves in favor of glorious reds and oranges, brilliant yellows and sober browns. The air gained a crispness in the early morning that was mostly faded by noon, while several mornings and evenings became fog-shrouded and peaceful.

Kimiko had picked this particular evening to go for a relaxing post-dinner walk; while she had invited Shuuichi, he had declined, citing the need to spend some extra time with certain plants to prepare them for the chillier weathers. Given how regularly they were spending time together, she couldn't really blame him for wanting some space...

Besides, it was a delightfully foggy evening. While it would have been _nice_ to share it with Shuuichi, having it all to herself was good too.

As she approached a small parking garage, she began to feel the weight of someone's gaze, and paused to glance around. It was still early enough in the evening for there to be plenty of other people wandering around, and none of them seemed remotely interested in her beyond the occasional glance. With a faint, thoughtful frown, she started walking again, tucking her hands absently in her pockets to check for her phone, wallet, and keys.

The feeling grew stronger as she walked past the garage, and she turned into it after a moment, as though she was going for a vehicle. It wasn't a large one—three stories, plus the roof—but there were more than enough places to hide if someone was following her in a conventional manner. And being the only person in there meant that she would easily be able to hear another set of footsteps.

There were a few cars scattered here and there, and Kimiko wandered over to give herself a chance to take in the space of the ground floor. It looked like most people had left for the night from the offices around, which theoretically meant that the remaining cars were either company ones, or those belonging to the night shift.

Either way, getting into a fight around _those_ would be trouble; gasoline might not explode the way movies said, but fire would be bad in any case. And the feeling of being watched hadn't faded... Kimiko glanced around, then made for the stairs that would take her up to the roof; few people parked up there during the nights, because it took too much effort to get them down.

Fortunately enough, she was correct, and there were no cars on the top level. There was also no real place to hide, which could be both a blessing and a curse.

"...all right, you can stop hiding now," she said, keeping her tone casual. "I know you're there."

"Hn. You're not as oblivious as you look."

It was a male voice, on the low side of tenor, with a decidedly arrogant bent to it. Kimiko bristled immediately, but bit her tongue as her follower seemed to melt out of the nearby shadows. He was certainly one of the shorter demons she'd met, and there was no denying the restrained hostility in the air.

"So, who are you, and what do you want?"

"Who I am is of little concern to you, since you'll soon be dead," he replied, unsheathing a katana.

"Ah, right to business. Okay," and she shrugged out of her jacket, tossing it carefully to one side. "Fine. Bring it on, short shit."

* * *

A quiet night with no people, only plants, was just what Shuuichi had needed after a long day of fairly fruitless encounters. Trying to reopen connections that were two decades closed was a difficult, almost obnoxious feat, and if not for the fact that it was Kimiko who had been the target, he might well have decided against it.

As a yoko, his web of information had been spread wide. Perhaps it had been foolish of him to let it remain closed for so very long. Not that there was much he could do about it at the moment, except wait and see what turned up.

It was still a bit aggravating.

He had finished with the plants and was carefully checking over the greenhouse interior to make sure there were no repairs needed when he felt the charm around his neck grow warm, and a pulling sensation, mild but insistent. It took him only a moment to realize what had happened, and he quickly shot out the door, slamming it behind him.

Kimiko was in trouble.

* * *

In hindsight, telling him to bring it on, had not been the wisest choice of words. He didn't need to be invisible to avoid getting hit the way Inmaki had, he was fast enough on his own. What was worse, what made her _really_ irritated, was that he was toying with her. He had landed a number of hits, but they were pulled hits, leaving behind only shallow injuries that bled sluggishly.

And frankly that was pissing her off more than his mocking commentary on her skills.

She had landed a few hits on him to be sure; he had a nice black eye developing around that jagan of his from when he'd made the mistake of mocking her master, and she _knew_ she had felt ribs crack under an elbow strike, but he definitely held the upper hand here. She had halfway considered abandoning the top of the garage, finding somewhere else to fight that might hamper him a little, but had ultimately vetoed the idea; with his speed and strength—a missed blow had shattered part of the doorway to the roof,and she had the sensation that he'd done it on purpose to try and scare her—he could probably bat her back onto the roof before she'd taken even a small jump.

She was getting worn down, bit by bit; they had been going long enough for it to become truly night, and most people were in their beds, unaware of the fight taking place on the garage. Her energy was getting drained, drop by drop, tying itself up in keeping her from bleeding out. And she had only _just_ remembered the promise of the earrings.

Hopefully, Shuuichi would make it in time.

Kimiko lunged in, her hands coated with lavender energy as she tried to land a punch on her tiny assailant; in return, she gained several shallow gashes, and barely managed to twist away from being stabbed in the gut when he took advantage of a hole in her defense. She did not, however, escape that one with a minor injury; while she avoided getting stabbed through her intestines, the sword still took a chunk out of her side.

Kimiko went tumbling to the far end of the roof, fetching up hard against the half-wall, and clutched at her side as the blood poured from the wound.

"Hmph. Pity. You were _almost_ doing well. For a _human_."

She made a rude gesture with her free hand.

"If you're going to kill me, get it over with; I don't wanna hear your bullshit," she snapped, voice tight with pain.

"It's hardly worth the effort; you're not a threat to the Toguro brothers. Hn?"

The name was unknown to her, but more important was the way his attention had abruptly shifted; Kimiko lifter her head a little, wondering if she dared try and close with him, but his sword came down to point right in her face. She was reckless sometimes, but not stupid; she stayed still and tried to think of what she might do to get away.

"Well well... I haven't felt that energy in quite a while," he said. After a moment he glanced at her, then abruptly jumped back to stand on the door to the lower levels. "I'm not being paid enough to piss _that_ one off, and he's heading right for us. Fine. You can tell Kurama that Hiei spared your life."

Before she could formulate a response, or even try and struggle to her feet, the demon—Hiei, apparently—was gone. And moments later, Shuuichi's whip curled around the bar that topped the concrete half-wall, and brought him up to the roof.

* * *

"He was definitely _not_ testing me. _Toying_ with me, maybe, but not testing," she grumbled, wincing a bit as Shuuichi carefully tended to her injuries. "I think he dropped the name Toguro to see if I'd react to it... and then..."

Shuuichi very carefully did not look up; he was quietly seething at Hiei, and knew that later he was going to have to find the shorter demon and express his displeasure in person. As it was, Kimiko wasn't stupid; if she hadn't already figured out that Hiei had meant _him_ , it wouldn't take too long. He _still_ didn't know how to explain his former life to her.

"Is Kurama a name of yours from before?" she finally asked.

He sighed a little; there would be no getting out of this now. Perhaps the condensed version would suffice; even that would likely leave her wondering just how much she could trust him.

"Yes," Shuuichi admitted. "Before I had this form, I was a yoko, a fox spirit. I specialized in breaking seals and thievery. I sought to gain power through the theft of artifacts from demons and demon hunters. Hiei and I would sometimes team up to do just that, and there were others who helped as well... Unfortunately, that lifestyle led me into a trap set by a powerful hunter, and almost killed me."

"But you survived and... decided to change your ways?"

"Not... quite."

Shuuichi sighed a little, and went to wash his hands. He could feel her watching him, and wondered if her expression was suspicious or concerned.

"I used up most of my energy in surviving the attack, and was left a spirit. For my safety, I took possession of the unborn child of Shiori Minamino. I knew that if I waited for ten years, my energy would recover, and I would be safe." He smiled a little to himself, before methodically drying his hands. "I did not expect to come to love my mother as much as I had. Eventually I decided that I preferred this human life to my previous one."

She was quiet as he moved around his kitchen, preparing a restorative meal for her. When he chanced a glance over, admittedly nervous about the continued silence, she was frowning in a thoughtful manner. She didn't look angry, only contemplative.

"What changed your mind?" she finally asked.

"...when I was younger, there was a project I was supposed to do for school that require the use of a coffee tin. Using a chair, I was able to reach one, but I slipped, and sent some plates crashing to the ground. Without care for herself, my mother caught me, and kept me from injury, earning deep scars on her arms. It was... the first time I truly realized that the feelings of others were worth consideration."

"Huh... Have you ever wanted to go back?"

"...a few times," he admitted, bringing over some tea for her. "But in the end, this has been a much calmer life, and I find I prefer it. I am not the person I used to be, and... I don't think this is a bad thing."

"Good," and she said it so decisively that it startled him into looking at her. She flushed a little, and looked away. "What? ...I mean, if you really wanted to leave, you could, but you're... my friend. And I'd really rather you stay."

* * *

"So, you're entertaining humans now, instead of stealing from them?"

"Hiei. So nice of you to drop by."

Hiei scoffed a little from where he stood on the balcony railing. Shuuichi had kept his tone neutral, wanting to hear what Hiei had to say before he elected to take his displeasure out on his old friend. Hopefully Kimiko—who had agreed that staying was probably the better option and had been too worn out to actually avoid taking the bed this time—would stay asleep until this confrontation was over.

"I thought you weren't dead," the shorter demon said. "But this is definitely a surprise; human form, human life, Kurama? What angle are you working?"

"I'm not," he replied. "This is the life I have chosen for myself. It may not be as exciting at the previous one, but there is something to be said for not having to run and hide every second of every day."

"Hmph. But this human can bring you back in with a wave of her hand? How unlike you."

Shuuichi just sighed; Hiei's antagonistic personality was amusing most of the time, but he did have his moments.

"She is my friend and my fighting partner," he said with strained patience. "And I very much do not appreciate what happened."

Hiei shrugged in an uncaring manner, but he couldn't quite hide his tension from Shuuichi.

"I let her live."

"Hiei..."

The smaller demon only shrugged again.

"I don't intend to try again, but she's going to get run over once the Toguro brothers and their backer find someone else to go after her. They seem to think she's a threat to them."

"A threat against what?"

"I didn't ask."

"...of course not," Shuuichi sighed. "Did you ask why?"

"No."

Hiei's laconic answering was starting to give him a headache.

"Well, since you're here, I may as well let you know that your sister is nearby." Shuuichi's allowed himself a tiny smirk as Hiei stiffened and glanced in his direction. "Perhaps if you're nicer to Kimiko-san the next time you cross paths, she might even tell you where she is."

Hiei's stoic expression soured just a touch.

"You think you've changed, Kurama, but you really haven't."

"I have changed in the ways that matter."

"Hmph."


	12. Eleven

Eleven

"What do you mean you have a stalker?" Botan demanded, concern and anger in her voice. "If he shows himself here, we'll give him what for!"

"Not like that, Botan-san," Kimiko said with a dry smile. "In a weird way, I think he's trying to watch out for me."

"But, Kimiko-san, if he's stalking you, shouldn't you try and do something about it?" Yukina asked worriedly.

"It's not romantic stalking, or even hate-stalking," she replied patiently. "I'm serious, I think he's trying to help, he's just... really terrible at it."

"Well, what _do_ you mean, then? How can you have a stalker that means _well_?"

Kimiko shrugged a little at Botan's insistent questions, handing up a small stack of books for her manager to shelve; Halloween had come and gone, and left an impressive dent in their stock, which was why she had agreed to stay late and help fill the shelves with her and Yukina.

"He's an old friend of Shuuichi's. We kind of got off on the wrong foot, and I think he's trying to make up for it. Not because of _me_ , no, but because he'd rather not fight Shuuichi if he can avoid it. Mostly he's just an ass who sits back and watches me fight, then critiques everything _he_ thinks I did wrong after." And she rolled her eyes tolerantly. "The first time he did that, I thought he was picking another fight, but he just walked off after telling me to be more spatially aware."

Granted, she was putting it lightly; she was fairly sure that if she told Botan he'd actually tried to kill her, the blue-haired woman would go off on a tirade, and then _nothing_ would get done. Botan—and by extension, Koenma—was very protective of the people she employed.

"It's thanks to him that we do have that extra name to look into," she continued, passing over a small quartz fountain that Yukina had wanted to set up. "Master Genkai hasn't found anything yet, but I know the name itself worries her."

"Yes, the Toguro brothers..." Botan looked worried for a moment, then turned to put away a few more books. "So calling him your stalker, then...?"

"It's mostly a joke. I don't know that he _does_ follow me, but he has an uncanny knock of turning up right when I'm trying to decide if I need to call for help or not."

"And you've been getting attacked more, lately?"

"Mmhm. I guess these Toguros really want me dead," Kimiko shrugged lightly and started hanging some crystals along the display rack. "Hiei _has_ helped, properly so, a couple of times. But he followed it up with mocking commentary, so I'm really not sure how helpful it actually was."

And she _definitely_ hadn't appreciated that he'd killed the demons in question. Hiei didn't seem to think much about her preference for mercy, which only served to make things a little more difficult. Hauling bodies to a portal was not her idea of a good end to a fight.

"Master Genkai thinks I should have the boys come up to stay for a bit, but I pointed out that my one-room apartment really wasn't a good place to host them, and gods only know how things will get handled eventually. I wouldn't mind most of them, but there's a couple that would just be..."

Failing to find the right word, Kimiko just shook her head a little.

"...I want to say I've heard the name 'Hiei' before," Botan said slowly as she retrieved more books to shelve. "I can't quite remember, but it was never anything good, I think."

"Shuuichi says he's ruthless, but lives by his own code, which is pretty complicated. I kind of want to punt his tiny ass across the city at times, but on a whole, I guess he's not so bad. And he is a _fast_ little bug, I swear. If I didn't think he'd try to stab me still, I might actually ask if he'd help me with speed training."

"Wait, stab you _still_?!"

"...whoops..."

* * *

"So then she went on a rant about him trying to stab me at _all,_ and I had to dance around the fact that there wasn't any trying involved," Kimiko said, carefully slicing the parsnips. "I think Yukina-chan guessed that he _had_ , but she seems okay with me saying he's not so bad as I initially thought. I don't know that I want to introduce them, though... They're _seriously_ related?"

"Yes," Shuuichi said, chuckling a little as he checked the bread. "I don't know the full story, but I do know that much. I doubt that he will ask you himself for a while, considering his pride, but it may well be that he does eventually."

"Hmmm," and her tone was doubtful. "I kind of hope not. I don't want to dash Yukina's hopes of a _nice_ brother... But on the other hand, I suppose if I'd never known Yuu, I'd want to at least meet him to judge for myself."

Privately, Shuuichi suspected that Hiei was actually eager to see Yukina, but actually admitting to it would ruin his carefully cultivated air of uncaring. In any case, it would be amusing enough to watch, whatever ended up happening.

"Have you made any plans for the weekend?" he inquired adding the chopped parsnips to the stew and tasting thoughtfully.

"Not willingly," she grumbled a little. "Keiko wants me and Shizuru to help her shop for baby stuff. Her mom kept some of her old baby things, but not enough to really furnish a nursery, and she wants to get that out of the way before she gets too big to move around properly. Since she and Yusuke finally agreed on what color they're painting the room, he and Kaz are going to do that while we shop. And then I made the mistake of admitting I need some new clothes, so I'm probably going to be dragged into that too."

It wasn't polite to laugh at her sour expression, but he couldn't help chuckling again anyways.

"Well, it sounds like you'll have your hands full. If you have the energy after, you should come over for some restorative tea, and tell me all about it."

"...you just want to hear the funny stories without actually getting involved."

"Perhaps," he allowed with a slight tip of his head and a faint smile. "Would you like me to be involved?"

"You'd probably get drafted into painting with the boys," she said dryly. "From her tone, I think Keiko wanted baby-things-shopping to be a girl's only event. But..."

He glanced over and caught a briefly wistful look on her face before she shook her head a little.

"I wouldn't mind," he offered, before she could say anything. "And perhaps it would be beneficial to have me a bit closer to help make sure you don't fall asleep on the train afterward."

She pushed him lightly, blushing a little.

"I only did that once," she huffed.

"Yes, and it was very cute, but I suspect you would have missed the stop if I hadn't been with you."

This time she made a face at him, and he gave in to the temptation to lightly boop her nose. She squeaked and covered her nose, then huffed at him again, pouting a little. Only when he gave her a light hug did she seem mollified, though she was giving him mock-suspicious looks.

"Well, if you want to come, I certainly wouldn't turn you down. Hell, it might make things easier on Yuu also; _someone_ has to keep him and Kaz from starting a paint war while we're busy. I'm pretty sure Keiko will attempt murder if the room is left only half finished."

"And you expect a paint war?"

"...putting Yusuke and Kazuma in the same room together pretty much guarantees it. They can't help but make fun of each other and things... degenerate quickly. Remember?"

"Hm. Yes. It was humorous for the most part."

"Yeah, when you end up with paint in your hair, I'm just gonna say I told you so." There was a pause while she collected the used things to set aside for washing. "And you'll probably have to suffer the awkward questions again. Because Yusuke can't leave well enough alone... and I might have admitted to calling one or two of our hang outs dates."

She said the last part so low and fast that it took him a moment to understand it... though the blush on her cheeks was a good giveaway that she was either feeling shy or embarrassed. When he did translate it, he nudged up to her gently.

"Is that so embarrassing?" he asked gently. "I admit, I've had some thoughts like that too..."

"I just... I said it without really thinking," Kimiko admitted, rubbing the tip of her nose without looking up at him; she was definitely embarrassed, he decided, but also nervous. Worried about his reaction, perhaps? "I didn't want to put you on the spot..."

"Kimiko-san."

Very gently he turned her to face him, then put a hand under her chin until she was looking properly at him. Oh yes, she was nervous. Nervous, hopeful, braced to hear rejection—how often had she heard rejection?—but wanting to hear something good as well. While he had meant to wait a _little_ bit longer, give her more time to reconcile the idea of him being a somewhat more ruthless person in the past, now did seem like as good a time as any.

"I think at this point, it might be a bit foolish to deny that we are attracted to one another, yes?"

After a moment, she nodded, the fading blush returning full force across her cheeks. He sternly told himself to _not_ smile _,_ as she was definitely nervous enough to take it the wrong way.

"Then there is nothing wrong with calling a night like this a date. Or, if you'd like, calling me your boyfriend."

If he'd thought she was blushing before, that was nothing compared to how red she turned at his words. He stifled a chuckle, and pulled her in for a hug, which allowed her to hide her face against his chest.

"I would...like that," she said, her voice muffled some by his shirt.

"Good. I would too."

* * *

To say she was in something of a daze for the rest of the week was a bit of an understatement; while she was not so distracted as to mis-shelve or walk into easily avoidable obstacles, it did take someone saying her name two or three times to properly get her attention.

Fortunately, the rest of the week blurred past rather quickly with no necessary fights, and while she had a feeling both Botan and Yukina _suspected_ , neither had pried, so she hadn't yet had to say the words aloud. She didn't _want_ to say them aloud yet, she wanted to savor them. She'd never had a boyfriend before...

They had agreed to meet at the station, and she found she had to smile when she saw him with a small backpack. He'd tied back his hair too; the ponytail looked nice, but she doubted that would save it from the paint.

"Extra clothes to change into?" she asked, motioning to it.

"Yes, though I suppose if you are correct and a paint fight begins, I will end up needing to have a bath once I get home. Possibly before; paint in a bit difficult to deal with in my hair."

She grinned a little; the paint fighting was inevitable with Kazuma and Yusuke in the same room. It was a pity she'd miss the entertainment.

"Are you going to try and get out of shopping with Keiko-san?"

"...I'll get dragged along whether I want to or not," she said with a sigh as they stepped onto the train. "No, this," and she tossed the empty duffel bag up over their seats, "is for the inevitable 'oh right, you wanted clothes too!' that will happen. I know I need new clothes, but it's always so tedious..."

"At least they will mean well?" he offered.

"That's what _you_ think. It'll be easier to fold everything they'll probably pester me into buying into a that, than it would be to carry a dozen or so shopping bags," she said with a wry sigh. Then, catching his somewhat confused look, she elaborated; "Shizuru likes dressing up her friends. She's a good stylist and fairly fashion conscious, so she's not _terrible_ at it, I just... it's not my thing. I like utilitarian, and plain. Especially considering the way my stuff has a tendency to get... y'know, wrecked. No point in spending a lot on something I'm just going to end up getting shredded."

"Ah, I see. It is a bit of a pity, but," and he smiled a little, then reached over and tucked some of her hair back into her braid, "you look well enough in whatever you choose to wear."

Kimiko squeaked, and blushed.

He was _entirely_ too good at that.

* * *

The diner wasn't open, but they could hear the commotion even before they stepped in.

"The madness plainly starts early," Kimiko said with a sigh. "Ready to join it?"

"It will be... educational," Shuuichi said, a small smile hovering around his mouth.

"Or something."

Kimiko slid open the door, and kicked off her shoes, then winced at the crash from overhead.

"Damnit Kuwabara, I told you _left_ , not right!"

"Oh, shut up, Urameshi, you don't know your right from your left anyways!"

"...there's still time to run back to the train," she murmured.

Shuuichi chuckled softly, and leaned over to just lightly kiss her temple.

"It sounds like they _need_ a diplomatic touch up there," he said as she blushed, and lightly pushed him away. "Before they break something."

"You are definitely not wrong," she sighed, wincing as there was another crash and more squabbling quickly broke out. "Good luck, Shuu."

As he headed up the stairs to sort out what he could between Kazuma and Yusuke, Kimiko poked her head into the diner's kitchen. Keiko was there, looking rather like she wanted to run upstairs and take over for the boys; Shizuru just had her usual expression of vague amusement about their antics. Upon seeing her, Keiko immediately brightened.

"Oh good, you're here! I was hoping you'd get here soon, those two around going to break things at this rate!"

"Yeah, I can tell. I sent Shuuichi on up, so hopefully his delightful calm will influence their panicky madness. You have a list?"

"We're still working on that," Shizuru said, looking up from a large baby-things catalog. "She keeps waffling."

"I am not!" Keiko protested. "I want to be specific."

"...let's be specific over some tea and pasteries at a cafe," Kimiko suggested. "We'll avoid the noise, and the smell of paint, which you're not supposed to deal with anyways, Kei-chan. Besides, I'm _hungry!_ "

"What'd you do, kiddo, oversleep?"

"Well, duh. It's my day off, when do I not oversleep on my days off?"

Okay, so maybe she was fibbing a little, just trying to get Keiko out of the house. Shizuru gave her a faint, knowing smile, but Keiko didn't seem to notice anything off about that statement, and only nodded after a moment of thought.

"I want to do a lot of price checking, to make sure everything we get is good quality _and_ affordable," she insisted at the three of them got on their shoes and headed out.

"I'd go with 'easy to put together' myself," Kimiko said off-handedly as she stuffed the catalog, notebook, and pens in her duffel. "Yusuke is no one's idea of a master carpenter. _Chef_ , maybe, but definitely not carpenter."

"She has a point, Keiko," Shizuru said with a wry laugh. "Remember him trying to fix that table?"

Keiko groaned as Kimiko giggled; the table had eventually been such a bust that they'd simply had to order a new one, much to the Yukimura's exasperation.

"All right; durable, affordable, and easy to put together," she agreed with a sigh.

"Do you know the gender yet?" Kimiko asked.

"No, we've decided to let it be a surprise. I'd like a little girl, but I think Yusuke wants a boy..."

"He would," Kimiko rolled her eyes a little. "I've got my fingers crossed for a girl; a mini-Yuu is a terrifying prospect, even with _you_ as the mother, Keiko."

Shizuru laughed a little.

"It's hard to argue with that..." Keiko agreed with a wry smile. "We'll just have to wait and see, huh?"

"Mmhm."

It was going to be a _long_ six months.

* * *

"So, what's going on between you and my sister?"

Shuuichi looked up from the paint he was stirring, and offered a faint smile.

"That is between us, of course," he said easily. "I would hesitate to breach any confidences given to me by her, as I don't know what you've been told."

"Well, she said you two were sort of going on dates. How do you 'sort of' go on a date?"

"Oh come on, Urameshi," Kazuma snorted a little. "Like those things you and Keiko used to go on. Y'know, the ones where you bailed half the time?"

"I'll paint the walls with your hair," Yusuke threatened, glaring over at his orange-haired friend. "I did not!"

"Okay, maybe it was only a quarter of the time~"

"We simply don't qualify the difference between spending time together," Shuuichi said hastily, looking to cut off the argument before it truly started. "Because she drops in when she feels like it, there's only a little structure to our outings, and we have a tendency to decide things in the moment, instead of pre-planning them. And, seeing as she is heavily unfamiliar in that area, I have never seen the point of pushing her to call it a date."

"Oh. Y'know, I never got why she wasn't ever asked out in school. I mean..."

Kazuma snorted again.

"Man, how does she put up with having a brother as dumb as you?" he mocked. "Duh! Anyone who dated Kimiko was gonna have to put up with you! She was always going around getting you out of trouble, and all that. And you never _stopped_ being an arrogant little punk."

"Oh come off it, Kuwabara," Yusuke scoffed. "She'd have _told_ me if that was the case."

"I think you underestimate your reputation, Yusuke," Shuuichi said mildly. "She never said it in as many words, but she has implied that making sure you passed school was more of a priority for her than dating."

Yusuke blinked, and actually went thoughtfully quiet for a minute; behind his back, Kazuma just shook his head at his friend's obliviousness. Shuuichi hid a smile, and carefully poured the pale yellow paint into a nearby tray.

"...okay, okay fine. I was kind of an ass when we were all kids. That doesn't explain after she moved out, though."

Shuuichi only shrugged.

"If she has or hasn't dated anyone in the past few years, it hasn't come up. And even if it had, I wouldn't say; it's not mine to tell."

Yusuke grumbled a bit, and grabbed a roller.

Kazuma, being the tallest, had the dark blue paint that would go on the ceiling; Keiko had wanted to make the ceiling into the night sky, while the walls were the paler yellow that would keep the room feeling light and airy. Yusuke went to paint around the windows, while Shuuichi started on one of the larger walls.

"So you and Kimiko are finally an actual couple, though?" Kazuma asked after they had been busily working for several minutes.

"Yes. She still seems a bit shy about it, so I wouldn't press her, but when we talked about it, we agreed that it felt like the right time."

"Yeah, get too pushy, and she's libel to toss you out a window," Yusuke commented with a snicker.

"She might toss _you_ ," Kazuma retorted, "but you're always nosy anyways."

"Hey, she's my _sister_ , how else am I supposed to act?"

"With tact. Oh, wait, I forgot you don't know what that means!"

"Oh, shut up! You're _scared_ of yours!"

"Hey, anyone in their right mind is scared of Shizuru," Kazuma said firmly. "She's _tough_."

* * *

" _Achoo._ "

"Bless you."

"Thanks... That better not be baby bro dissing me..."

"Shizuru, I don't think Kaz has the guts to diss you," Kimiko said dryly. "I mean, who kicked whose ass to get into a good high school, and college?"

"Heh," the older woman smirked a little. "You're probably right."

"I'm still kind of surprised he didn't go to medical school; he's certainly empathetic enough for it."

"Yeah,but I think maybe he's _too_ empathetic, y'know?He hates not being able to help people. Engineering might actually be better for him. He can help build houses... He's actually talked about joining a company that does disaster relief work."

"Huh. That would do pretty well for him, but he'd probably end up traveling a lot."

"Well, maybe he'll finally find a girl he can keep if he does~"

"Shi _zu_ ru!" Kimiko laughed a little. "You know he's got that huge crush on Yukina-chan. While they haven't actually gone on any dates, he seems to enjoy texting her from what she's told me."

She did worry a little for when Yukina eventually revealed that she was an Ice Maiden, but hopefully it wouldn't come as too much of a shock for him.

"And what does Yukina-chan think of him?"

"Oh, that he's large and amusing. I try not to pry, but I'm keeping an eye out. I'd hate to see either of them hurt, after all."

"You _guys_ " Keiko interrupted with a huff. "You're not being very helpful."

"You're the one who said we were price-checking," Kimiko pointed out.

"We should probably take a break after this store Keiko, I'm _starving_ ," Shizuru added.

"...oh fine. Lunch probably _is_ a good idea."

It still took them another half an hour to get out of the store so that they could _find_ a place to eat, and Keiko kept flipping back and forth through the pages of notes she'd taken on each place they'd visited, and each piece of furniture.

Kimiko just relished the chance to sit down and eat; she was used to being on her feet for long hours, sure, but shopping with Keiko wasn't quite the same as working the floor of the shop.

"Hey, how're things with you and Red?" Shizuru asked once they'd all gotten their meals.

"They're all right," Kimiko shrugged a little, nonchalantly. She'd known this would come up eventually. "We hang out a lot; he's a good friend."

"After five months you're still only friends?" Shizuru asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kimiko shrugged again and just started nibbling her food.

"Not everyone jumps into a relationship with all the subtly of a battering ram, Shizu," she said after a moment, smiling dryly. "I like having a friend, is that such a bad thing?"

"Hmmmm..."

"I'm more wondering about the boys," she continued. "Do you think they've fought with paint yet, or will they hold off til after lunch?"

"...well, knowing Yusuke and Kazuma, they've probably already mess up the idea of the paint job that Keiko wanted," Shizuru replied, a small smile crossing her face. "Throw your boy into the mix, though, and I don't know..."

"They better not have," Keiko huffed a little, looking up from the notebook. "I really liked that idea. A green sky doesn't look very night-sky like."

"It might if you're expecting bad weather," Kimiko giggled.

Keiko responded by sticking out her tongue, and that was the end of conversation for the moment.

Then, Shizuru gave her a sly glance.

"Oh, hey, Kimiko, didn't you need to shop for clothes...?"

* * *

"Well, we finished it..."

"Yup," Yusuke said with a smirk, absently smearing more paint across his cheek. "And it even doesn't look half bad!"

Shuuichi glanced at the two other young men and stifled a sigh; though he'd try to mitigate it, Kimiko had been correct and the paint fighting had happened despite all his attempts. At least he'd managed to keep it from happening while Kazuma had been armed with the dark blue ceiling paint, but the pale yellow that splattered them, their clothes, the walls, and the drop cloths was going to be hard to get out. Even the head scarves hadn't protected them entirely.

"Sis said that we should set up a couple of fans to help it dry faster when we were done, to make the paint fumes go away faster," Kazuma said, wrestling in a couple of boxy floor fans. "I think our folks did that when they repainted the living room a couple years ago, so we dug em out and brought em over."

"Hell, might as well," Yusuke shrugged a little, pulling off some of the painting tape so that they could get plugged in. "Even with the windows open, it'll take a while for this room to be ready for whatever Keiko's gonna buy. Or eventually buy, she wasn't too clear on that."

"Your in-laws and the diner customers would probably appreciate it as well," Shuuichi added, helping to position one while Yusuke plugged them in. "Hopefully the smell of paint won't linger for too long."

"Ah, they're more than ready to retire at this point," Yusuke snarked, then turned on both fans with a grin that suggested he hadn't actually meant it. "I think the general consensus is that after Keiko has the baby, they'll 'retire,' and help take care of it, while we run the diner. It'll be weird having an indoor place instead of an outdoor one..."

"Yeah, what're you gonna do with the food cart, anyways?"

"Not sure yet. Got a couple people saying they wouldn't mind buying it for themselves. Hell, I could probably throw it in what counts for the yard and save it for the kid when they get old enough, or whatever."

"You could turn it into a playhouse?" Shuuichi suggested. "At least until your child is old enough to want it to be something else."

"Huh, that's a pretty good idea," and Yusuke lightly slapped him on the back in a friendly manner. "Man, we better get all this paint off us before the girls get back. Keiko won't even give me a _hug_ if I don't."

Kazuma snickered, and Shuuichi smiled a little; hopefully the girls _would_ return soon. A more mitigating force between these two would be very welcome... and he was curious to know if Kimiko had escaped clothes shopping or not.

* * *

"...it's almost too quiet up there," Kimiko said, eyeing the diner suspiciously. "Do you think they murdered each other?"

"They better _not_ have," Keiko huffed a little, pushing open the door.

"Or if they did, hopefully they finished the paint job first," Shizuru said. "Be a shame to have to do it ourselves."

"Dad?" Keiko called. "Mom?"

"Down here, dear," Mrs. Yukimura called back.

"Hello ladies, did you find everything you wanted to today," Mr. Yukimra asked as they trio filed into the diner and claimed seats at the main counter.

Either the old man was a mind-reader, or a miracle worker, Kimiko couldn't really be sure which, but a large meal was definitely being prepared for all of them. She could see portions of hers and Yusuke's favorite meals, among other Yukimura specialties.

"Where's the boys?" Shizuru asked, glancing around. "I was sure with all this food they'd be here already, trying to devour it."

"Oh, they headed down to the local bathhouse to get all the paint off. They did a nice job upstairs, Keiko, but-"

"But?!" the brunette's head came up in a moment of panic.

"But the paint is still drying so we'll probably have to stay down here for a while more," Mrs. Yukimura finished, not even slightly perturbed by her daughter's reaction.

Kimiko snickered a little as Keiko sighed in relief.

"You know, if they come back without having tried to drown one another, that'll be impressive too," she said idly, pulling out a pair of disposable chopsticks in preparation.

"Maybe they'll be too tired to bicker like schoolboys," Shizuru offered.

There was a beat of silence before everyone burst out laughing.

* * *

"Any idea when you'll next be able to get away?"

"Mmmm, no. I never know when I'm gonna be able to take a break from work, Yuu. Why?"

Yusuke glanced sidelong at her as she yawned a little, shifting the now-stuffed duffel to her other shoulder. The walk to the station wasn't very long, nor was it easy to get lost, but she hadn't protested him tagging along when she and Shuuichi had agreed to call it a night. Sure it wasn't as _peaceful_ as she might have wanted... but she was still holding Shuuichi's hand, and that was something.

"Helps to have someone _else_ who's sane come around now that Keiko's going baby-crazy," he muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Kimiko smiled a little, and reached out to lightly shove him.

"You _can_ just say that you miss me, you big dope. No one here's going to make fun of you for it."

"Not right away, you won't," he grumbled a little, very gently shoving back.

"Would _I_ do that?"

"Yes."

"Your confidence in me is just overwhelming, Yuu," she said dryly. "Look, it's not that I don't miss you guys, but I _do_ have some other problems and things on my mind. But I'll try. Goodness knows Keiko's going to want to eventually go out and _buy_ most of the things we looked at today, and you're no better at shopping for things than I am. And next month is Christmas, so we have to get everyone together and visit Master Genkai."

"You know she'll bitch about it."

 _"You_ know as well as I do that she doesn't mean any of it, and do you _want_ Grandma to be alone on Christmas Day?"

Yusuke made a face at her, and she responded in kind, then yawned again. Truthfully, she doubted Genkai _would_ be alone, given the number of demon friends... but she loved and respected the old woman, and knew Yusuke did too, even when he wouldn't admit it.

"You know, you really owe me more than just a half-story by the way."

Now Kimiko made a face.

"Yeah yeah. I'm just not sure how comfortable I am with letting _everyone_ know, all right? Some of it... isn't fun stuff. And I haven't figured out yet if it's safer to tell you or not."

"Well, you told everyone about Genkai."

"Master Genkai is an entirely different subject compared to... well... Everything else," she retorted. "She's my _teacher_. And I only introduced _you_. You were the one that dragged everyone else along."

She felt Shuuichi squeeze her hand very lightly, and sighed a little.

"Look, Yuu, it's kind of like being a spy. I don't know if what I say will put you in danger or keep you out of it, and it's kind of scary, all right? I know you nuts can take care of yourself, but..."

"With respect, Yusuke, your energy is impressive, but untrained. You're a small campfire, with the potential to become a bonfire. Or a forest fire, I suspect. Little control, a great deal of damage," Shuuichi put in as Kimiko struggled to find the right words. "Kimiko-san is an LED spotlight, attached to a fully armed naval ship. Many ways of both causing and minimalizing damage, with a lot more concentrated power."

"...nice analogy."

"Feels a little clumsy to me," he admitted with a small smile. "But the best I could come up with in the moment."

"Wait, wait, so _he_ knows?!"

"...Yuu, he's my _partner_ , of course he knows!" she made an exasperated sound. "Look, pick a day soon, before the Christmas gift rush hits, and I swear, I will sit down and answer all questions in-depth, just for you. I'll even make it your Christmas gift if you want. But right now, I want to catch the train and _go home_! I'm tired, damnit!"

"Yeesh, okay, jeez, don't bite my head off," he groused back.

"Maybe if you pulled your head out of your _ass_ every once in a while-"

" _Children_ ," Shuuichi interrupted firmly.

They both startled, blinked, and looked up at him.

"Kimiko-san, you _are_ tired and need to take a step back," he said, his hand moving from hers to her shoulder. "He is concerned for your welfare, as family is prone to being. And Yusuke, Kimiko-san is right; it's not necessarily safe to know what we know. She needs time to think and to decide; she cannot be pushed or rushed into this decision."

"...or any other," Yusuke grumbled. "She's as bad as Grandma like that!"

"Well, stubbornness does seem to be a shared trait between the two of you."

Kimiko stuck her tongue out at her boyfriend, but couldn't really deny it. Yusuke couldn't either, and only muttered a little more.

"Have a good trip back," he said, a little grudgingly as they reached the station. "And, y'know, thanks for the help today."

"You're welcome, Yusuke. It was... instructional."

"...Yuu?"

Yusuke paused, and glanced over his shoulder.

"You're a dumbass, and I love you."

"Yeah yeah, love you too, sis. I'll call you later, 'kay?"

"Uh huh. See ya."

* * *

Kimiko was quiet for the entire train ride, and Shuuichi did his best to unobtrusively watch her; her expression was pensive, and though she did seem comfortable with holding his hand, she hadn't leaned into the shoulder he'd subtly offered once they'd sat down. Given how tactile she was—rough, maybe, but still tactile—it was a bit worrying. It wasn't until they'd left the station and were heading towards their respective homes that she finally broke the silence.

"...I've kept it secret for a long time," she said finally, startling him a little. "I don't really know what I ought to start with. And there's things I can't answer that I know will piss him off too."

"Like what?"

"Well, I've never learned who writes me the letters that tell me where I need to go. And I have to talk to the boys up at Master Genkai's before I can freely talk about them too..."

"Kimiko-san, I doubt he's going to come to your door tomorrow and demand all the answers," he said gently, sliding an arm around her. "For one thing, I doubt Keiko-san would let him. For another, he _does_ care, even if he has a hard time understanding. I'm sure he'll let you come into it at your own pace."

"Mnn..."

She didn't seem too convinced, but she was leaning into the comfort he was offering, so that was something. Very gently, he squeezed her shoulder.

"Perhaps you should think about it later," he suggested gently. "When you've had a chance to rest and eat."

"Mmmm..."

She was quiet for a moment, then glanced up at him.

"...Shuuichi?"

"Yes?"

"You spend a lot of time listening to me and... helping me. Did... was everything okay for you?"

He blinked, surprised by the shift of conversation. Kimiko blushed a little and rubbed at her nose briefly.

"We're supposed to be friends as well as partners, but I feel like I'm slacking... And I want to make sure I'm not... taking advantage of you because I know I'm chattery and also that I complain a lot."

After a moment, he leaned down slightly to kiss her temple. The way she blushed and ducked her head a little made him smile.

"If it bothers me, I will let you know," he promised. "I don't think you're slacking; your life is naturally more exciting and energetic is all, and you have adapted to it in a way that I find quite admirable. You have kept a large secret in a way that attempted to minimalize harm to those you care for, and you work very hard to be helpful and pleasant, if not always kind. I _like_ listening to you, Kimiko-san. I like being able to help you, and know you as a person, not just another hunter."

It was more than just liking at this point, but he was worried that going to deep would push her away. She had needed time to grow into the idea that she was attracted to him, as he was to her; saying such strong words right now could easily shatter the still somewhat fragile bond.

But maybe there was another way... Not too physical, but still.

"...Shuu?"

"Yes?"

"...is that offer for tea still open, or would you just like to get to bed?"

He couldn't help but smile down at her, even as he wondered what she was thinking.

"Tea sounds like an excellent idea."


	13. Twelve

Twelve

They ended up dozing off together on the couch, Kimiko wrapped snuggly in Shuuichi's arms. It was a little embarrassing to wake up to, but also... nice. She would have been quite willing to not get up at all—she didn't want to disturb him when he looked so peaceful—but she could hear her phone vibrating in her jacket pocket where it was hanging across the room. Someone trying to reach her at this hour usually meant her master, and gods forbid she ignore _that_ phone call.

She tried to be careful, and privately had to admit that it would have been easier to extricate herself if they'd been in bed instead. She wasn't entirely sure she'd succeeded... and when she tripped over her own duffel, she knew she hadn't because he caught her arm before she could make contact with the coffee table.

"...good morning?" she offered a little sheepishly as she regained her balance.

"Good morning," he said, soft voice husky from sleep. "Are you well?"

"Uh huh."

The phone stopped buzzing briefly, chirped to let her know she had missed a call, then insistently began vibrating again.

"Ah, I see. You'd better get that."

Kimiko nodded, stepped _over_ the bag, and went to retrieve her phone.

"...Botan-san?"

"Kimiko-chan, I'm _awfully_ sorry to bother you this early, I know you're not scheduled, but Koenma-sama really needs to talk to you about something important, and he wanted it to be on a day where you weren't also worrying about getting back onto the floor."

"Is something wrong?" Kimiko asked, blinking as she tried to figure out why Koenma would want to talk to her. It wasn't performance reviews, he _hated_ doing those... and she couldn't think of anything she might have done wrong recently...

"No, no, no, nothing bad. I think. It's more like it's something he's needed to tell you for a while, and I finally convinced him~"

"...that's...not precisely comforting, Botan-san, but okay. Um... when?"

"I know it's early, but if you could come by in an hour, that would be grand!"

"Yeah... okay.. I can do that."

"Great, see you then!"

Baffled, Kimiko hung up, then rubbed her face with a yawn.

"Something the matter?"

"I don't know... But apparently Koenma-san wants to talk to me about something important enough that he wants my undivided attention."

"A promotion, perhaps?" Shuuichi offered, getting off the couch and heading to his kitchen area.

"That'd be nice, but I doubt it. I don't think the shop needs _two_ managers... We're not big enough for that. Plus, he could easily tell me that tomorrow, when I clock in. The way Botan-san was talking, it seems more... important than that. It's worrying."

She chewed briefly in her lower lip, then shook her head a little. She was certainly awake now, despite the lack of sleep, and nervous to boot.

"Shuuichi, is it okay if I use your bathroom?"

"Of course."

She grabbed the duffel, and scampered into the bathroom to wash up and change.

* * *

The shop wasn't even open for business this early; typically they didn't open until ten, and the hours before were spent restocking, cleaning, and preparing. Being called in early on a day off was worrying; seeing the 'closed until noon' sign on the front door really did not help.

"Oh, Kimiko-chan, _there_ you are," Botan said, beaming as Kimiko entered the back room. "I'm sorry dear, I know it's a bit strange, but I promise, we've got a very good reason for this."

From Koenma's office, she heard a faint snort.

"Have you eaten?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Shuuichi made sure I did. He said it wouldn't be very dignified if I fainted from lack of food this early in the morning."

"Oooohhh, so you spent the night?~" Botan teased.

Kimiko flushed, and gently pushed her manager's arm.

"Nothing happened, I just fell asleep on the sofa before I could get the energy to make it home! Yesterday was _busy_."

"Nothing happened, she says," Botan giggled. "Somehow, I don't believe you."

"Botan, that is currently not the point," Koenma said, stepping to the door of his office and giving her a stern look. "You can gossip with Kimiko about her boyfriend later, right now, there are more important things to discuss. Things _you_ insisted upon, if I recall correctly."

"Oh, yes, right, of course!"

Kimiko blinked, glancing between them, then stepped into the office when Koenma gestured her to follow, taking a seat in the chair across from his desk. Botan followed, shutting the door behind the three of them while Koenma got himself settled once more behind the desk, looking pensive.

"I was against this when you first started working for me, as I had only the word of others to judge," he said, without preamble. "Otherwise, Botan would have spilled the story the minute you walked in looking for a part-time job. I'm mostly impressed that it's actually _stayed_ secret for as long as it has."

Given that Botan _was_ kind of a notorious blabbermouth, Kimiko couldn't help but be curious. What sort of secret had they been keeping from her for this long?And more importantly, _why_?

"This may be a bit convoluted, but I ask that you bear with me," he continued. "Can you tell me much about the three realms?"

"Um... probably not," she admitted, confused. "I've only ever lived in this one, I've never had cause or reason to visit the demon world, and... well, spirit world is reserved for the dead, isn't it?"

"More or less. All right then. Long ago, the spirit world had erected a great barrier to keep the human realm and the demon realm apart, but in the past century, it fell due to infighting among the various denizens of the realm. Some of the beings of Spirit World, dedicated to protecting the humans, came here, to set up ways to make sure the demons didn't run rampant once the barrier collapsed. This is why there is a need for people like your master, as well as you. Fortunately, even without the barrier in place, it's hard to find good spots to open portals from that last longer than a few moments, so there's never been too much worry about an incursion. With me so far?"

"...sort of..."

"Each part of the protection agency works independently, so not every potential hunter is contacted in the same manner, or at the same age, and admittedly, most never learn from whom their instructions come. Our agency contacted you young because the network detected you had the potential to become very good, without any unnecessary, life-altering catalysts."

Kimiko blinked. Blinked again. Then shot to her feet.

"It was _you_ this whole damn _time?!_ "

Both Botan and Koenma jumped; they clearly hadn't been expecting so emphatic a response, and admittedly after her initial burst of shock, Kimiko flopped back into the chair, not sure whether she ought to be angry or what.

"Ah... yes," Koenma said, clearing his throat a bit self-consciously. "Rather, while I wrote the letters, it was Botan and her network that kept an eye on you, and helped to tailor what they needed to say. We've lost hunters young before, to mental illnesses that we ought to have caught and gotten them help with, among other reasons. I thought it best to have you work here, with us, to give you something of a support network once you were ready, and also because I wanted to keep a closer watch on you as you continued to mature and evolve as a hunter. I must admit, you've exceeded every expectation I had and then some..."

Botan looked smuggly pleased by that, but Kimiko still felt confused.

"The reason I'm telling you this now is because we've reached a point where some things are simply to dangerous to entrust to a sealed letter, and also because you have grown enough that the need for secrecy no longer exists. At least between us," he continued. "Of your co-workers, I see no problems in revealing things to Yukina, being that she is an apparition herself, but no one else."

"...Yuu's been pushing me recently to tell him more about this. Can I tell him?"

"Hmmm. Your brother is a bit of a wild card... But he can take care of himself thanks to Genkai's training, so it ought to be safe enough. I would recommend keeping the number of people you tell this to small, of course; the secrecy is in place for a reason."

She nodded a little in understanding; when it came to important things, Yusuke could keep secrets. After a moment, Koenma sighed a little.

"All right, so, as you know, the last major fight you had was a bit one-sided and pointed specifically at you, which is something we don't often see outside of grudge matches. Since I know you've never met any of the Triad before that night, it unfortunately implies that someone inside the network is giving out information regarding the ones we regard as top-tier."

"A lot of other top-ranking hunters, people who both think like you and the merciless kind, have been being whittled down lately by similar challenges, you see," Botan put in. "Direct challenges from demons who would otherwise have no reason to even _want_ to set foot in the human world; Hiei, for example..."

Absently, Kimiko rubbed her side; thanks to Shuuichi's salves and her own healing ability, she didn't have any scars from Hiei's attack but she still remembered how close that had been.

"Wait, but Hiei _does_ have reason to be here," she said after a minute. "He's looking for Yukina, who's looking for him."

"But neither of them knew that the other was actually in this realm," Botan replied. "Yukina-chan came looking based on hope and conjecture... and while we've heard that Hiei's been searching for a while, we were led to believe that he had confined that search to the demon realm, where the land of the Ice Maidens is said to be."

"Oh..."

"When he spared you, giving you the name of the ones who hired him, we immediately spread out the net, trying to learn more about these Toguro brothers. The name is familiar, and it took some digging, but we finally found something useful. Not a lot... but I think you'll have more luck talking to Genkai about them then waiting on us."

"Master Genkai?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"...Every five years, there's this event that takes place on neutral ground. It's known as the Dark Tournament. Teams of demons are invited to compete, and one team in particular is specially invited and cannot get out of it. A long time ago, that one team had your master, and several of her allies. Including the two Toguro brothers."

"What."

It came out so flatly unamused that Koenma winced a little.

"Now, at the end of the tournament, the winners are granted a wish. Genkai's was to never get involved in the tournament again, which, she never has. Shortly after that event, she went into seclusion in the compound where she still lives to this day. From what we've _heard_ , the younger Toguro brother asked to be made into a high-class demon, one who didn't age and had an unchallengeable strength. We've assumed his brother followed suit. Unfortunately, that's _all_ we know. A few years ago, the Dark Tournament had... something of an upset, and hasn't been held since. Hasn't even been _whispered_ about since, really."

"And you think Master Genkai might know something about it?"

"Not the tournament, no, but she might be able to give you greater insight as to what the Toguro brothers _might_ be up to. I'd like to know where they're getting their money to hire demons to challenge our best hunters myself... And there's definitely something bigger going on here as well."

"...you realize that if I pry into Master Genkai's past, I'm going to lay the blame on you when she gets pissed at me, right?"

Koenma sighed as Botan giggled a little.

"Well, I suppose it's to be expected. I _ought_ to consider myself lucky that she didn't tell you about us herself when she first learned where you were working."

"Master Genkai doesn't tell other people's secrets. She _barely_ reveals her own!" Kimiko paused, then tilted her head. "Hey, how do _you_ know her anyways?"

"Well, before her team was 'invited' to the Dark Tournament sixty years ago, she did work for us. She was much more nosy than you were, and tracked me down after only a few letters..." He sighed a little, and slumped back in his chair, shaking his head slightly. "She was scary even back then. I've sent students her way every decade or so, but you're the first that's not only survived her training, but survived bringing more people _to_ her."

"...well, we can say for certain that she's not getting soft in her old age," Kimiko said, rolling one shoulder in an absent manner. "Even implying it is a bad idea."

"Too true, too true," Koenma nodded, arms crossed over his chest. "You know, frankly, you're taking this a lot better than I thought you would."

"It's... a lot to take in, but it doesn't really shock me that much, now that I think about it. Why _didn't_ anyone tell me when I came walking in, though?"

"We... decided that you were still maturing, and we didn't want you to feel like you were being used. I felt that getting to know one of the best hunters personally, without other opinions, would be beneficial."

Something about the response felt off, and Botan gave Koenma a look that Kimiko couldn't quite interpret. It seemed somewhere between exasperated and somehow... sympathetic.

"In any case, now that you know, it will be easier to give you any sensitive information that might come our way. It's only a matter of time before the Toguros learn that Hiei _didn't_ kill you, assuming he didn't tell them already. Which means they may be inclined to up the price on your head."

"...Oh, before we forget, you can tell your Shuuichi too," Botan said with a teasing smile.

"He's not my... Oh what's the use, thank you, yes, I was going to tell him with or without permission because he's my fighting partner," Kimiko huffed a little, glaring at her giggling manager.

"There _is_ a more mundane set of good news,if you'd like it. Something _else_ Botan has pushed for, since you're one of the few hunters that's come and stayed instead of eventually moving on from the shop."

"That's both promising and unnerving. What?"

"You're getting a promotion, of course~" Botan exclaimed. "I've always _wanted_ a co-manager!"

* * *

"...sounds like it was quite eventful," Shuuichi said mildly, giving her a concerned look. She still seemed rather on the stunned side... "Kimiko-san?"

"I really... _really_... don't know how to react. I think my head hurts..."

He reached over and gently pulled her close, getting her to lean more against him. She had certainly _looked_ rather like she'd been hit upside the head, and when she'd first returned, he'd worried that maybe she'd been attacked... and in a way, perhaps she had, but it was with information, not violence. He was rather glad she'd returned to his apartment to get the duffel; his couch was a comfortable spot to sit and talk.

"You did get quite a lot dropped on you at once," he said, trying to be reassuring. "I'm not surprised it's taking you some time to absorb it."

"And the more I think about it, the more I feel kind of pissed off," she admitted. "I don't think Koenma-san was being totally honest with me about _why_ no one told me who they were from the word go. The fact that he watched me for _years_ before saying anything at all..."

He watched her fists clench, and lightly rubbed her back; in her position, he probably would have felt insulted too. Telling her now because of sensitive information was a good choice, but Kimiko had _needed_ friends for a long while, that truly understood the work she did.

"I'm afraid any thoughts I have on the matter would be fairly biased," he said finally. "You said it was Botan-san who pushed him to tell you, though, yes?"

"Mmhm. He said so, at least."

"Well, perhaps you can ask her for the real reason tomorrow."

Kimiko grumbled a little under her breath, but relaxed somewhat against him with a sigh. He had the sense that the crisis wasn't _entirely_ over, but she was laying it aside for the moment, which was probably for the best. But he could tell she still wasn't comfortable.

"...what's wrong?"

"I... don't want to talk to Master Genkai about the Toguro brothers," she admitted after a long stretch of silence. "Sometimes, I've caught her looking off and she looks _old_ , Shuu. Not elderly the way she is, but old and tired, and sad. It's bad enough when she remembers on her own..."

It was moments like this where he was forcibly reminded that she was not just an excellent fighter; that had been born from necessity and a nurtured desire to aid others, as well as not get killed. Kimiko was heavily empathetic to the people around her, and took more care with their moods than her own. It made him smile sympathetically, and drop a kiss on the top of her head.

"There might not be any choice in the matter," he said gently. "If the price is on your head, soon they may make an attempt on the people around you, to draw you to them. You cannot be everywhere Kimiko-san. You need to know what you can about your enemy."

She made a quietly unhappy sound of acknowledgment, and just curled a little more against him.

It hurt a little, both being the voice of reason and unable to offer her more comfort than this. Nor was he immune to the knowledge that soon enough his name was libel to be attached to hers as far as a bounty went, and that would put his own human family in danger.

A sensible person would cut ties, find a place to lie low until the news was more favorable, but that would not do here. Kimiko would not, he knew, abandon anyone. No more could he.

"Would you like company when you go to visit her?"

"...I think I need to go alone. She might be more forthcoming if it's just me. But thanks, Shuu. I appreciate the offer."

She surprised him then, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek. His startled look got a giggle out of her, and a tiny smile, which he decided was an improvement on her previously downward treading mood.

"You're welcome."

* * *

At his suggestion, she left about half the clothes in the duffel in his dresser. It was a little embarrassing, but she was admittedly spending a good portion of time sleeping over, and having spare clothes there would make for one less thing to worry about if she ended up sleeping there on a work night.

Everything else went home with her, along with her brooding thoughts. She didn't even notice someone attempted to mug her on the way home, simply disarming him and walking on automatically.

"Well. Don't _you_ look gloomy."

For once, even Hiei's abrupt appearance didn't startle her. She only sighed, and turned to look up into the tree he was standing on.

"Do you want something?" she asked tiredly. "Because I've got a lot on my mind, and I really don't have the energy to put up with your shit today."

"As charming as ever..."

Kimiko just sighed and turned to walk on.

"I have information, if you want it."

"On what?"

"The Toguros."

She stopped. Turned back.

"And what do you want _for_ it?" she asked.

"You know my sister. I want to meet her."

"Information in trade for meeting Yukina-chan? Isn't that the point of that third eye of yours, finding her?"

"She hides well in this realm," he grumbled, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Given the way you've stalked... me..."

Kimiko paused. Thought for a moment. There was still something _fishy_ about the fact that he wouldn't meet Yukina on his own, when there had to be no question that he'd _seen_ her. Legitimately given the way Hiei had been following her around, it was impossible for him to _not_ have seen her, since she tried to walk Yukina home most nights.

Was he trying to make her feel better? But why?

"Well, okay," she scratched her head a little, still a bit confused, but feeling less suspicious. "I can probably set something up if you want to say hello... or...Hm."

"...that look on your face does not inspire me with confidence."

"Well, if you're going to make a nuisance of yourself, we might as well bite the bullet and have you meet everyone," she said, now feeling a bit maliciously cheerful. This would be perfect payback, really. "Why not tag along to Master Genkai's on Christmas Day?~ I was going to invite Yukina-chan anyways so that she didn't have to spend the holiday alone."

The invitation surprised him, and for a moment it showed before that bored mask was back in place. He shrugged after a moment, feigning nonchalance in a way that made her want to snicker.

"Very well."

"Cool. If you meet us at the station,I think there should be a train running around noon, and we can gather everyone else up along the way~"

Now he looked mildly put out, but only sighed instead of protesting.

"The Toguros are hired themselves," he said without preamble. "Their employer, from what I could infer, is a very rich human, who wants high-level demon hunters killed, or at least incapacitated in a way as to make them useless for any future fighting. To avoid causing delays in some project."

"Huh... Any idea what kind of project?"

"No. Even the other demons that have been hired don't know, they just get paid very handsomely for their work. Whatever it is, it's probably bad for humans."

She nodded thoughtfully; it wasn't a _lot_ of information, but she could stop by the library and use a terminal to look up the richest people in the country. That might narrow the list some.

"Thanks, H..."

He was was already gone. After a moment she shook her head and continued towards her apartment.

"I am _never_ gonna figure that guy out..."

* * *

It took time to arrange a trip to go see Genkai. For one thing, manager duties were more complicated than clerk and stock duties, and she had to learn how to do that. Since it seemed pointless to try and visit her master in the middle of being trained, and she was still adjusting to the many surprises that kept being dropped on her head, it took a couple of weeks before she thought she was ready for it.

Things had... mostly settled down. Mostly. There were still random demons and apparitions—a new term she'd learned lately that applied to Yukina, as well as both Botan and Koenma—that came into the city, but the number of violent ones seemed to be hunkered down. Kimiko decided eventually that it wasn't worth the effort; it was cold and wet, and if they wanted to keep their heads down, she wasn't going to make a fuss over it.

It was never cold enough for proper snow, but icy rain had happened more than once, making traffic a tangle, and delaying trains, not to mention the number of people who tended to slip before the sand or salt was laid on the sidewalks. One of her co-workers had managed to break an ankle trying to make up for being late, so there had been that too.

And of course, just when she thought she'd had a handle on things, she'd found out the _real_ reason Koenma had been so leery about telling her. She still felt vaguely insulted by it, but had to admit that she might well _have_ grown a crush on him if he'd presented more as her friend than her boss.

She was still giving him the snub treatment for it, though.

The trains were running a bit behind, but she was in no rush to reach the compound; making her master relive old wounds to give her information wasn't high on her list of fun ideas. Not only because it would hurt the old woman, but because it would undoubtedly result in Kimiko being bounced around like a pachinko ball in some new, painful training.

She sighed a little to herself, and stared out the window, half-wishing she'd taken Shuuichi up on his offer for company. But that also reminded her that she was going to have to consider _his_ Christmas gift, as well as the standard ones for her friends.

Holidays were such a pain.

* * *

Genkai's compound was draped in a blanket of white. It was a thin one at the moment, and it would probably melt away soon enough, but it made Kimiko smile a little; it was a pity her city couldn't enjoy this. On the other hand, they were having enough 'fun' with icy rain, maybe it was better to not have snow on top of it all.

The steps had been swept clean... or more likely blown clean, courtesy of Jin. He was often tagged with minor maintenance things like that, and while he complained, he also did them. Kimiko often wasn't sure if this was because he had a good heart, or because Genkai was just that scary. As ever, she decided it was a mix of both and headed up them with care; the snow had piled up in a couple places, and she didn't feel like slipping and banging her knees right now.

The snow muffled everything around her, but didn't quite hide the fact that life continued, no matter the season. She could hear winter birds chirping high up in tree branches, and once or twice, rustling underbrush as something scurried away from her. Being in no rush, she took the steps slowly, trying to marshal her thoughts and questions into something she could ask her master about and not cause too much pain.

Some was inevitable. But with luck, and some careful wording, maybe she could make sure it wasn't too much.

The temple itself was surprisingly serene; the walks and porches had been swept—no special power tricks allowed inside the compound—and for a moment it seemed like no one was there at all... until Genkai slid open the front door and beckoned her inside.

Her master already looked old and worn, Kimiko saw, feeling a pang in her heart.

"I had hoped," the old woman said once they were in the warmth of the interior kitchen, "that I could finish out my life in peace, without having to even think of those two for more than a moment again. Heh. An old woman's foolishness, I suppose."

"Master..."

"Hush. Just listen."

Kimiko hushed, and found a place to sit while Genkai found them tea and snacks. The tea was welcome on the cold day, and Kimiko stayed silent while the old woman visibly gathered her thoughts.

"When we were young and powerful, the three of us opened a dojo, to train up the demon hunters that were needed. Back then, there was less regulation about it... it was much less of a secret that demons were on the streets, and people were a bit more careful about where they walked, though it wasn't always easy to find out just which branch leader was giving you your orders."

Kimiko nodded; she'd save that particular revelation for after, hoping that maybe hearing about it would amuse Genkai.

"We were close... the younger brother and I. He was, at that time, strong and honorable, if still something of a fool. Powerful, brave, and reckless. Our reputation as a fighting pair grew, and we heard rumors of the Dark Tournament for the first time from the demon Kairan who... 'invited' us."

Grief, sharp and swift, crossed Genkai's face for a moment, then settled into the neutral irritability that Kimiko was familiar with.

"He killed all the students while we three were away, taking care of another problem just down the road. Something in Toguro snapped that night, and he left after we had buried and given funeral rites for all those unlucky children. His older brother and I didn't see him for the next three months, though he did turn up to go to and through the tournament with us. But he was... different. No longer a person I could admire, or care for.

"When we won, he asked to be changed into the type of demon that Kairan had been; one that needed not fear aging, or ever losing their powers. He claimed it was so that he could keep growing stronger, keep improving his skills... but he didn't come back to the dojo. After the events during the tournament, I wanted to be alone, to heal from the bitterness and disappointments I had suffered, and so I ended up here."

Genkai took a sip of her tea then, and Kimiko quietly nibbled a bun.

"The older brother was small and scrawny, but had strong defensive capabilities, which were no doubt enhanced by his change into a demon," she continued grimly. "He was also a sadistic little asshole who enjoyed hurting people. His younger brother was strong physically, and his change probably made that greater as well. I don't know if he's retained any sort of honor, but he was sometimes merciful when it was needed.

"If they are the ones who are after you, some parts of your training need to be stepped up; you're very good child, I wish we could have specialized more in healing since that's where your own natural skill lies, but if you try to take those two on now, you'll die."

The finality of the statement was enough to give Kimiko chills. Unconsciously she tightened her grip on her tea cup and tried not to shiver.

"...what... what do I need to do, Master?"

"Train. And train hard," Genkai said. "I want to see you every two weeks, for at least a week, until we know more about where those two are, and what they're up to. And you can tell your boss I said as much!"

"...pretty sure Koenma-san won't object, master. He seems just as worried about this as you."

"Oh, so he finally broke that stupid stricture of silence did he?"

She _sounded_ like herself, but Kimiko wasn't so sure just yet. She looked somewhat more pale than normal, and hadn't touched her tea again. But it was better to go with the change in conversation at this point... If Master Genkai knew more, she would tell her later. So she shrugged, and nodded.

"Mmhm. Botan-san apparently pestered him into it."

"Hmph. About damn time. I always thought it was a stupid idea of his, keeping you in the dark."

"...I'm still annoyed about his actual reason for doing it," Kimiko admitted sourly. "All that effort to avoid being crushed on? He's not even my _type!_ "

That made Genkai snort into the teacup she'd just picked up.

* * *

Given that she'd planned to stay overnight, Kimiko was more than willing to retire to her room after filling Genkai in on events both good and bad that had taken place over the past weeks, plus the ones that were planned for the following month. Genkai had, predictably, complained about them all dropping in for Christmas Day, but Kimiko had seen the small smile, and known the complaints to be nothing more than hot air. It was, in its own way, comforting.

Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, she just couldn't bring herself to sleep. Her mind simply wouldn't stop turning over the finality of Genkai's assessment of her current skill level, nd her body refused to relax.

What was worse was that she couldn't even feel insulted by it; who would know her better than her own training master? Wasn't that the reason for the Spirit Cuffs, to help make her stronger? And that was _without_ extra physical training, which she was definitely going to need anyways. Speed training, if nothing else; Hiei's speed was such magnitudes beyond her own it was almost embarrassing.

Eventually Kimiko sighed and threw off her blankets; she needed to go out and do something, not lay still and stew. She changed into warm clothes, stuffed her feet into a pair of boots, and bounced over the compound wall into the snow on the other side. She needed to move, to untangle her thoughts and fears so that she didn't cause anyone worry.

The forest at night beyond the compound was quiet and she headed into the depths of it with only half her attention on her surroundings. Not much would attack her out here, but that didn't mean it was safe to be _completely_ inside her head. She remembered that lesson very well from last time.

So when the breeze picked up, it was enough warning for her to slightly move to the side, an admittedly lackluster response to Jin's usual greeting. Which was probably why he didn't swoop her up, though she didn't glance up to see his reaction. She just sensed him hovering, and felt the soft swirling of the winds that kept him there.

"...havin a bad time of it, are ya?" he asked, his voice sympathetic.

"Mn."

"You know, we're here tae talk if you need it," he said, gently poking her shoulder. "Give you a demon's perspective."

"...funny," she huffed a little, her breath steaming in the chill air. "I'm fine, Jin."

"Ach, no you're not, an tellin yourself you are isn't goin t'make it true," he retorted, poking her again, a little more firmly. "You're really bad at that, y'know."

Despite the gloomy thoughts, she couldn't help but smile a little.

"I'm tough. We're _all_ tough," he continued, moving to float ahead of her as she walked. "And we all know you're strong an scary. Y'have tae be, t'train under the crazy old lady back there. But everyone needs tae talk about things _sometimes_ , especially when they're in over their head. So why _not_ us? It's a demon threat, an all..."

"Well, I see Master Genkai's kept you in the information loop," she said a little dryly. Then sighed. "Everything's just all... jumbled up in my head. I don't even really know what my current biggest problem is! I just want my brain to shut up so I can get some sleep, because no doubt tomorrow I'm going to have to do a lot of talking with Koenma-san and Botan-san, plus Shuuichi, _plus_ Yuu and that lot, and it won't be easy to do that sensibly if I'm running on fumes..."

"...while I don't always advocate for biggie's way of handlin things, have ya considered a drink?"

"Jin, you know I can't stand alcohol."

He shrugged lightly, making her sigh a little in resigned exasperation. For a wind master, he could be patently stubborn, and she knew he took things more personally when it came to having friends.

"You're just going to keep making a pest of yourself no matter what, aren't you?"

He grinned a little.

"Well now, isn't that what brothers do?" he asked, his tone _almost_ innocent.

"They also tend to get slugged a lot when they pry into their sister's affairs," she retorted, not quite able to help the half-smile that pulled at her mouth.

"...A risk I'm quite willin ta take," and his grin widened. "C'mon, you know you'll feel better if you talk about what's botherin ya. Or is that only for your boy, now?"

"...you've _definitely_ been spying on me."

"What?~ I only meant that you seem t'be very close t'your friend?~"

His sly grin demanded a response, so she did reach out and lightly slug him.

"You're really just like my brother, I swear..."

"Aye~ Now c'mon an tell ol Jin your troubles~"


	14. Thirteen

Thirteen

"...so I talked to Koenma-san and Botan-san, and we've worked out a schedule that _should_ please Master Genkai. I think. It's been a while since I had regular-ish training... I'm a little worried about what all she might come up with. But my first week at her place starts directly after Christmas Day, and goes straight through New Year."

Shuuichi nodded a little, carefully trimming back a plant that was blooming in an overly-enthusiastic manner, considering the weather. It would do for having extra cuttings to grow more, but it was also getting almost obnoxious in its abundance.

"Perhaps I ought to join you. No doubt they are as formidable as your master fears, and it would not do for me to be a hindrance more than a help."

And he didn't like the shadowed, worried look in her eyes. There was an almost palpable weight that hung around her, preoccupation and nerves... while he couldn't keep her from being afraid, he could at least offer her support the way her other friends had. That was what friends, and more importantly, partners, were supposed to do.

"It'll probably hurt," she warned with a wan smile. "Master Genkai's training isn't necessarily for the faint of heart."

"Well, better pain now and improvement, than no improvement and being in the way," he replied, carefully sweeping the cuttings aside so he could turn the plant and start the next section. "Have you decided what you'll tell your friends?"

"Ugh, no..." and her face fell a bit. "Yuu's been pestering me about it all week, though, so I have to pick something. Koenma-san said as long as they didn't blab it around, he was fine with them knowing, but I still don't know how much information is going to be too much, or what their reactions will be. But..." and she did brighten, just a bit, "Jin finally agreed that he and the others would show up to meet them on Christmas Day, so that's something."

"...that should be amusing, all right. Your brother and Jin are very similar in mood. I can almost feel sorry for all the teasing Kazuma-san will receive."

That made her giggle, the first he'd heard since she'd left to visit her master.

"It should be a party... sort of," Kimiko admitted, leaning forward a little on the bench. "Pretty sure Chu and Suzu are gonna get on like a house on fire, which is worrying. Jin and Yuu, of course, and probably Toya, though he's pretty reserved. Kaz is probably gonna be all over Yukina, who agreed to come,which should provide some entertainment via Hiei if he's half as over-protective as I think he'll be..."

She paused and started what appeared to be a mental count, then blinked in what could only be surprise.

"There's gonna be at least nineteen people there," she said, responding to his inquisitive noise. "Demons, humans, _and_ apparitions."

"You know an interesting web of people," Shuuichi said with a faint smile.

"...well, I'm not discounting that, and I know there's room, but I'm not so sure there's going to be enough food. Especially when half of us eat like birds."

"Usually when people say that, they mean not eating a lot. Which only goes to show that the really have no idea how much birds _do_ eat."

She smiled a little wryly.

"Pretty much. If I say _anything_ to Master Genkai, though, she'll get grumpy about the implication that she can't buy enough food to feed an army, and I'd really rather not deal with that. But maybe..."

Kimiko's voice trailed off, her expression going thoughtful; he watched surreptitiously, able to guess where her thoughts were leading her without much effort. It was good to see her starting to cheer up... but part of him wondered if she was, or if she was just trying to project that to make him worry less. She hadn't spoken her personal opinion on the knowledge she'd gained from Genkai, and it worried him that she wouldn't.

"I'll have to call everyone, see what they'd be willing and able to provide," she finally said, hopping to her feet. "I can put in an order for a couple different kinds of Christmas cake; there's an _excellent_ bakery near the shop, and with that many people, we're definitely going to need more than one!"

"Kimiko-san?"

"Hmmm?"

"You will be coming back, yes?"

She blinked at him, surprised. Confused.

"...it's... Yes?"

"If you go upstairs, there's a list of what we need for tonight on the fridge," he smiled at her a little, doing his best to project reassurance. "Since you're going out, would it be all right if you got them?"

Her expression relaxed, and she smiled back, nodding.

"Sure, Shuu. I can do that. See you in a bit!"

She blew him a quick kiss—she was getting less self-conscious about that, it seemed—and bounded out the door, her phone already in her hand. Shuuichi turned his gaze back to the plant he was trimming, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

Drawing her out was going to take some effort. Moreso than usual, it would seem. She turned conversations away with a deft air, and though he had gone along with it, he had the sense that he was going to have to get stern. What a friend _might_ let pass, a partner... a hoped-for-lover, decidedly could not. How could he help, after all, if she wouldn't talk to him?

He sighed a little, and swept the rest of the clippings up, then set them aside; his energy would keep them in this state until he was ready and able to plant them in new pots and coax out more growth; this was a popular holiday plant, and they were going to run low sooner rather than later.

After a moment, his own phone began to buzz. The name on the screen made him smile just a little; he'd been waiting for this call, and that was some perfect timing.

"Hello, Yusuke."

* * *

It was funny how... _fun_ it was to shop for more than just herself. Buying her own food, clothes, whatever, that was a chore. She went in fast, grabbed what looked best, and got out. But she had watched Shuuichi several times now, carefully picking out ingredients to make the meals as flavorful as he could, and it would really be doing him a disservice to try and be _less_ meticulous.

She still was, but then, she was also the sort who bought takeaway instead of cooking on her own. Maybe if she got lucky, by the time his birthday came around, she might be able to _not_ burn food.

Kimiko snorted a little at her own inner musings, and shook her head lightly.

The idea of a party was a nice one though, taking her mind off of the troubling thoughts she'd been mired in for the past few days. She still hadn't managed to find _any_ gifts either, something she was going to have to step up on, with only two weeks left to prepare. Most of her friends and family weren't too hard... it was Shuuichi where she was getting stuck, really. How _did_ one buy gifts for a significant other? They had to be special, didn't they?

"Kimiko-san?"

She jumped, having been lost in thought while staring at the vegetables in the market. Sheepishly she turned to see who'd called her, then smiled.

"Oh, hey Yukina-chan~ What's up?"

"Are you all right? You looked a bit... perturbed."

"Ah, I'm fine. I got distracted trying to think up gifts for Christmas."

"Gifts?" the ice maiden seemed confused. "Kazuma-san mentioned thought too."

"It's one of those traditional things. On Christmas Day, people spend time with family, opening gifts and sharing food."

"Oh dear. Are they a requirement?"

She looked so worried that Kimiko couldn't help but smile.

"No, no one's going to be too fazed if you don't bring anything with you," she said reassuringly. "Though I'm glad to see you; while I was talking with Shuuichi, I realized there's going to be nineteen of us, and I thought that we should all bring something extra to eat. Without telling Master Genkai, because she'll be insulted if it's implied she can't feed all of us."

Kimiko rolled her eyes in tolerant amusement; Yukina giggled.

"Food could count as a gift too, yes?"

"Yup! I've already got Christmas cakes on order, but anything else would be good to get. You can even make some special for Kaz; I know he'd like that. He'll eat _anything_ too, he's worse than Yuu at times." And she shook her head theatrically. "Such a glutton."

Yukina giggled again, and lightly patted Kimiko on the arm.

* * *

She certainly _seemed_ more cheerful and at ease once she returned to him, arms filled with bags that held the ingredients for the evening meal. While Kimiko didn't quite chatter, she was more talkative and relaxed, though for what reasons Shuuichi could only speculate. Meeting Yukina and talking for a brief bit was undoubtedly part of it, and he was glad of it, but he could still feel more under the thin veneer.

He bided his time as they cooked, instructing her patiently as she frowned and asked questions, and then as they ate and washed up, he watched her. Her mood didn't dim all at once, but he saw tiny signs that indicated she was not as fine as she was projecting.

He waited until they'd finished the dishes, then simply turned and pulled her into a hug. It startled her, making her squeak and tense.

"Shuuichi? Is... are you all right?"

He voice radiated concern and unease; he carefully eased back, and looked down at her, though he didn't release her. She _looked_ uneasy, worried, and was holding herself a little awkwardly; not trying to get away, but not sure what to do with herself either. He shifted a little, lifting a hand so that he could gently stroke her cheek.

"Kimiko-san, you don't have to pretend to be all right," he said quietly. "Not with me."

There was a rapid flash of emotions through her eyes; he caught guilt, and a profound unhappiness before she hid it all, and offered a forced smile.

"Don't worry about me, Shuu, I'm tough," she said, pulling away gently. He let her; while he didn't intend to drop this, he also wasn't going to force her to stay close if she was uncomfortable. "I mean, I've got Master Genkai, and everyone else, and you on my side! How can I be anything _but_ okay?"

The falseness of it made him reach out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Because it's _you_ that's the target," he said simply. "Any sane being who becomes targeted worries about that. Being you, no doubt you're also worrying about the people around you, much more than you're worrying about yourself."

She flinched, but he noticed she didn't try to deny his words.

"Shuuichi..."

"I know that it's not a comfortable feeling to acknowledge. And you've done this alone long enough, with the idea that you have to take care of it all yourself, that it might be harder to say something than to keep it in. But Kimiko... you're _not_ alone. We are partners, and I want to help you. You don't _always_ have to be strong, just to make sure no one around you worries..." he smiled ruefully. "Right now, that's just making me worry more."

She hesitated still, and he had the sense that she was having a vicious argument with herself. He would accept being rebuffed if she felt she had to, but it wasn't a topic he was inclined to let drop. They had to come to an understanding about this... it was one thing to hide the little pains, the little hurts; everyone did that to some extent. But this? This was big, and it would eat her alive if she—if _they—_ let it.

She took a hesitant step towards him, lifting a hand that shook slightly. He took it gently, and was ready when she was just suddenly there, hiding her face against his chest and trembling. He stroked her hair, rubbed her back, and said nothing. When she was ready, she would talk.

* * *

Being confronted like that had been a surprise; she admittedly hadn't expected Shuuichi to be quite so... _firm_. Or perhaps stubborn? She still wasn't sure how much leaning on a single person was too much, and she _was_ used to battling her darker emotions on her own. Fear, anger, self-loathing, she could work through them it just took her time.

He still hadn't seen her on nights where she woke from her dreams in blind panic, sweating and shaking, unable to sleep again until dawn; nights where she came up from her bed swinging, ready to fight on there's nothing the _too_ fight, and it takes hours to relax again. Nights where she was sick from memories, nights where she cried herself back to sleep, and hated herself in the morning.

Sharing that was scary. Things like that would scare him off, chase him away. She wanted to stay with him too much for that to happen.

But those words had popped something. Some bubble, maybe, and her heart wanted to trust him; _did_ trust him. Being in his arms, just being held while she shivered silently, admitting to herself if not aloud that she was terrified... something about this was _right_.

They stood there for a good while, until the shivers had worked themselves out and she was just resting against him, feeling worn, but also... better.

"...I think what makes it so scary is that Master Genkai wants me for regular training. Before it was school holidays, a day here, a day there, whenever I could find the time. We worked hard, yeah, but it wasn't... urgent. This feels... Immediate. Like I'm building up to something that in the end might not even be enough. And we don't _know_ enough about what's going on either."

She gripped his shirt briefly, then relaxed her hands a little. His cheek resting on her head felt nice... Actually, come t think of it, just resting against him was one of the most comforting things she'd felt in a good long while. How long _had_ it been since she'd gotten a hug from anyone? Had she ever truly been held after such times as these? Genkai wasn't big on physical demonstration, no more than her brother. It was always Kimiko that needed the contact.

"If it's something that worries your master, then it only makes sense it will affect you as well, not to mention those around you who understand how strong Master Genkai is," he said, one hand slowly running up and down her back. "With no offense meant to her, she is human, and getting old. You are probably her very last student, her heir, and she wants to be ready for that, as well as whatever fighting will coming to pass."

"You think?"

"I do. Master Genkai has a reputation among demons, after all," he smiled a little. "No doubt if she had come after me, I wouldn't be here as I am today. Fortunately, the one who attacked me was much less skilled at tracking."

The idea of him being hurt gave her a chill, and she briefly tightened her hold on him. He nuzzled her lightly in response.

"Do you feel any better?"

"I... yeah. A little. I'm... still scared, but..."

She shifted a little, turning her head a bit so that she could listen to his heart beating. He smelled like green, growing things, and she closed her eyes, letting it soothe her.

"But... better. It's not quite as scary now."

"Good."

It made her smile, just a little, and she shifted a bit more.

"Shuuichi?"

"Hm?"

"Could... um..." Kimiko felt heat rising in her cheeks; funny how this was also scary, but in a different way. "Can..." She took a breath, and then pushed the sentence out in a rush, knowing it was the only way she _would_ get it out. "Wouldyoukissme?"

She felt him startle a little, heat rising all the way to the tips of her ears; risking a glance up, she saw thoughtful surprise in his face, and a warm light in his eyes. It was his turn to shift a little, leaning in, and as his mouth brushed her lightly, her eyes closed.

It wasn't magic, the way romance novels or fairy tales said. It didn't produce fireworks, or sparks, just... warmth. It felt...

Right.

* * *

It wasn't the last time he comforted her over the following weeks as the holiday approached and the crush of last-second shoppers began pouring in. Having admitted to the fear, though, made it somewhat easier to bear. And having times to just... sit quietly with him were nice. Not easy to find with both of them having to pull extra time in to regular work to keep up with the rush, but nice.

She managed to find gifts for the rest of her extended family, though every year it got harder and harder to shop for them. Botan and Koenma were arguably the hardest, even more so now that she knew for a fact they weren't human. But Koenma did have a thing for stamp pads—the more creative and colorful, the better—and she and Yukina had split the cost on getting Botan a new set of saucepans. They'd both heard the story of what had happened to the previous set; Botan wasn't _always_ a bad cook, but when she failed, she failed _hard_.

Most gift exchanging would take place at Genkai's along with the food, and while she was looking forward to that bit, she still had something of a problem. She still hadn't been able to figure out what she could give Shuuichi.

Plants and plant seeds seemed much too simple, and she had scoured the internet for hours from the library for old books that might appeal, but nothing had caught her eye enough for her to snatch it up. Besides, she wanted it to be more... personal. They were spending Christmas Eve together, as a couple, and she just wanted to make things... perfect. Or as perfect as they could get, all things considered.

She'd first considered calling Keiko, but Keiko and Yusuke had never quite seemed to have _this_ sort of problem. Instead, she'd turned to Shizuru. Which she was now starting to regret, as this was the third dress shop in an hour, and the older woman was showing no signs of slowing down.

"Shizuru, c'mon... This stuff is way too fancy. We're not going out!"

"Yes, you say that now, but what if you change your mind?"

Kimiko sighed tiredly.

"To do what? Everything that is date-related will be booked up, probably _has_ been booked up for weeks! And with how crowded pretty much every place will be, staying in and watching movies is much more appealing..."

"That doesn't mean you should go over _looking_ like you're hermiting," Shizuru said mock-severely. "You're a cute kid, you should take the time to remind him of that. How far _have_ you guys gone, anyways?"

Kimiko spluttered a little, feeling heat rise to her face. She was much more comfortable with being held, even cuddled, than she was with kissing; kissing was still new enough to feel special. Like it needed its own perfect moment. Not that it had stopped her from light experimentation. While she was _considering_ more, she also wasn't entirely sure she was _ready_ for more.

On the other hand, if she thought that way, she might never actually _be_ ready.

"Jeez, Kimi, breathe a little before you turn blue," Shizuru teased. "Here, go try these on!"

She dumped a load of outfits into Kimiko's arms, and pushed her towards the dressing room. Kimiko went, mostly because it gave her a chance to calm down... even if most of the outfits definitely weren't her thing. Why buy fancy anything when there was no place to wear it, and—more importantly—it ran the risk of being ruined in a fight?

The dresses weren't the worst of it though, and she had to stare at the little bits of... lace? _Was_ that lace?

"Shi _zu_ ru!"

"What? You're always wearing practical stuff. Don't you _want_ anything girly?"

She poked her head out of the dressing room and glared.

"Do I _look_ like someone who wears girly things?" she demanded. "Shizu, I work in an esoteric book store. _And_ I have a propensity for finding the kind of fights that ruin clothes. Girly and I are not compatible."

"Ah, but this is a night in, according to you. Not a working night, not a fighting night, a _date_ night."

"...they don't even look _comfortable_ , Shizuru..."

"No one ever said looking hot was comfortable. Besides, do it right and you won't be wearing them all night..."

" _Shizuru_."

"All right, all right, I'll look for something less revealing but still pretty. Jeez. You're such a killjoy."

Kimiko passed the lacy bits of nothing out, then sat on the bench and grumbled a little to herself; next time she wasn't going to ask for help at _all_.

* * *

Shuuichi pondered the layout of the spare room thoughtfully, smiling a little to himself. At advice from her brother and the rest, he had outfitted the room to what he hoped were Kimiko's tastes. He didn't expect she'd be receptive to moving in—he wasn't going to suggest that for a while yet himself, really—but it would be her own space, in his space, and he suspected that was what she _would_ appreciate.

Or rather, that's what he hoped.

They had discussed it and agreed that with recent events, going out was too much like painting a target, even with Hiei around doing... whatever it is he was doing. If a fight broke out on this night, there was too much of a chance for innocents to be hurt before the fight could be moved to a clearer location.

But that didn't mean he wasn't dressed nice. It was still going to be as romantic a night as he could make it. Pleased with himself, he shut the door to contain the surprise, and went to check on his part of the meal; Kimiko had offered to bring the cake they would share, and some side dishes, but he hadn't wanted much to waste time cooking while she was there.

Hopefully it wouldn't take her much longer to arrive.

As he passed the stereo, he turned it on; the classical station was playing some very nice renditions of the holiday music, and while he wasn't generally given to that brand of sentiment, he thought she might like it.

He sensed her well before she tapped on the door, and he found himself smiling a little; he had been looking forward to this. While he had often considered dating before, things had never quite fallen right. And yet now, with death threats and unknown problems looming, it was all falling into place. Perhaps whatever version of deity existed had a twisted sense of humor. Or maybe it was just luck.

Either way, he was ready when she knocked, and pulled the door open. She was muffled pretty much head to foot in winter gear, and it made him chuckle a little as she stepped in. Long coat, thick hat, well-wrapped scarf, gloves... He took the carry bags from her so that she could more easily wrest her boots from her feet. He glanced curiously at the small backpack, but when she didn't offer it to him, he decided not to ask. If she wanted him to know, she would tell him. It may simply be that she had no real pockets to speak of, and the backpack was there simply to hold life's daily necessities.

"One Christmas cake, and several store-bought side dishes," she said, and her could tell she was smiling by the way her eyes glittered.

He heard cheer and pride in her voice, among other things, and he turned to put things away while she shed her outer garments with what he thought was a faint sigh of relief. When he turned back, he had to take a moment to simply stare.

Kimiko was a lovely girl just on principle. He liked her dark hair, and her amethyst-colored eyes, and the fact that she seemed to not even be aware of how cute she could be when she was smiling. But this was much more than simply cute. The scarf and hat that had been hiding her face and hair revealed that said hair was mostly loose, only tied at the top instead of in her usual braid, with a large, floppy gold ribbon. The black strands framed her face, making sharp edges a bit softer, and enhancing the subtle makeup she wore.

She wore a cream turtleneck under a short, sleeveless purple plaid dress, and black leggings with white socks. A thin, gold-chain belt wrapped loosely around her waist. She didn't look much like her usual self at all.

He took it all in swiftly, and returned his gaze to her face; she looked nervous. Shy and uncertain of herself.

"You look lovely," he said, realizing after a moment that she was waiting for him to say something. The way she relaxed, and even smiled, made him feel better.

"I let Shizuru drag me around like a dress up doll for hours," she replied, her expression shifting to look a bit put out. "She has good taste, but also not _my_ taste... And then she made me sit still so that she could do this," and Kimiko gestured slightly to her face and hair. "I thought I was going to be late..."

"No," he said with a chuckle. "You're just in time. Why don't we eat, and then I have something for you after dinner."

"Didn't we agree that we were going to exchange gifts at Genkai's? She asked, one eyebrow going up.

"Yes, but this is not precisely a portable gift..."

Shuuichi smiled a bit more, seeing that her curiosity was now piqued.

"All right. Then let's do that."

* * *

It _had_ been unnerving, the way he'd stared after she'd taken off the outer things. But she had to admit that maybe, just this _once_ , Shizuru had given her some good advice. And really, she _was_ a good beautician, this just generally wasn't Kimiko's idea of casual clothing.

She still felt silly, powder and things all over her face, her hair loose... at least she had managed to dodge whatever that frilly thing was that Shizuru swore was for sleeping in. Whatever faint hopes she held for the evening, something like _that_ was asking a bit too much. The lacy underwear was bad enough.

It was a quiet meal, peaceful, with the music a comfortable background level. They swapped panicked customer stories in moderate sympathy with one another, and she teased him gently about the number of young women who actually _had_ tried to ask him out.

"It hasn't quite gotten around that I am no longer available," he said with a faint smile. "I expect that will make it a bit more difficult in the coming months, but then, Kokoda is very attractive in his own right, so he may well become the shop's new draw. At least they all took it well."

Sh giggled a little.

"I feel bad for Kokoda," she said wryly. "Besides, doesn't _he_ have a partner?"

"Not as of yet. I believe his father has introduced him to a few young women recently, but so far, very little has come of that. He's told me it's much more amusing to work at the shop, especially now that he's being give more responsibility."

"Well, at least he's enjoying it..." she glanced away briefly. "I hope he can maintain that attitude."

Kimiko startled a little when he took her hand, turning back in surprise, then smiled a little ruefully, and twined her fingers with his.

"Sorry, right. No dwelling on sad thoughts. So! I believe you said something about a non-portable present?"

"So soon?" he teased her gently. "You're quite eager."

"Hey, I like presents as much as any other girl, both the giving and the receiving," she said, briefly sticking her tongue out.

"Hmmmm." And he chuckled a little. "You don't want to wait?"

"Well, if you don't want to show me yet, I won't make you... Did you have something planned? You have that plotting look on your face."

She saw playfulness in his face.

"What plotting look?" he asked innocently.

" _That_ plotting look," she retorted, pointing at him as he smiled at her. She couldn't help but grin a little back. "That smile says you're up to something!"

"Well, perhaps. Actually, I was wondering if you might not like to dance with me."

It made her blink in surprise.

"Dance...? Me?"

"Well, you are quite graceful and coordinated. Even if you don't know how, I'm quite certain you can learn with ease," he said, and his smile grew a bit as she made a face at him.

"What about the dishes?"

"We shouldn't leave them overnight, but a little bit of dancing won't make them any harder to clean."

His smile was coaxing, playful and soft. Kimiko found herself unable to resist, and nodded, allowing him to pull her upright and following him into the living room area. He turned the music up a little bit, then pulled her closer; she had expected maybe the traditional waltz, it seemed like something he'd know, but no... he just pulled her close until she could rest her head on his chest, draped his arms around her loosely, and they swayed lightly to the music.

He still smelled like green things, but also like the food he'd cooked, and maybe an extra hint of cinnamon. Whatever it was, she felt herself relaxing against him, and swayed right along with. It was a moment of just the two of them, their own little world. She didn't have to think about demons, fighting, or even work. She just silently enjoyed the sound of his heart, the way his arms felt wrapped around her, surrounding her in warmth and comfort and peace.

She wasn't even terribly surprised when he leaned down and kissed her. It felt _right._

It was almost painful when the moment ended, but logic had to intrude eventually, as did a need to breathe before things got _too_ heated.

"We... ought to clean up," she said a little breathlessly. "Before we get... too distracted."

He chuckled a little, and she could feel his heart was racing just as much as hers. A tiny part of her wondered if he understood what she was saying, a tinier part wished he would say to hell with it and keep kissing her, be damned to the consequences.

"You might have a point," he said, his own voice husky. "Better to have it done before... anything else, yes?"

Despite herself, the blushed, even as she nodded.

Unwrapping from his warmth was hard; she wanted to retreat back into that bubble of obliviousness, let that feeling sweep her away until she didn't care any more. But no... they had to have a _little_ restraint. Just a little.

He seemed as reluctant to let go as she was, but when she managed to pull herself away, he turned towards the table, where the remnants of their meal waited, and started to gather things together. With a tiny, resigned sigh, she did the same, rolling up her sleeves so that she could start washing the dishes. Between the two of them it was quick work, at least, though the air hummed with a feeling that she couldn't quite name. Desire? Or more?

As the last dish was placed on the rack, she screwed up her courage, and turned to him.

"Shuuichi?"

"Yes?"

"...before... Before you show me whatever surprise you've got, could... could I offer you my gift?"

He looked surprised, then curious.

"It's... not a gift that I can share with everyone else," she admitted, biting her lip a little.

"Well, I was already curious, but now I am intrigued... If you'd like, then yes, of course."

She took a deep breath, and met those green eyes that had fascinated her since she'd first gotten a good look at him. Kind eyes, warm eyes; not the first to see her for herself, but definitely the first to care about her in this manner.

Those eyes made it easier to say what she wanted to say.

"I want to stay with you tonight."

He blinked, going still. There were, of course, many ways to interpret such a phrase. She knew what she meant, however.

"Kimiko... are you sure?"

She nodded, unable to help the tiny hopeful smile.

"I...I think... that I love you," she said softly. "And I know I trust you. I want to do this, Shuuichi. If... if you do."

He reached out, lightly trailed his fingers over her cheek, a soft caress that she leaned into. It was oddly comforting to feel the faintest of tremors in his fingers, though whether they were nerves, desire, or some mix of both, she couldn't be certain.

"I believe that I love you as well," He replied, gently drawing her closer. "And I would be most pleased to have to stay tonight."

* * *

 _AN: You looking for the smut version? Heard on over to AO3!_


	15. Fourteen

Fourteen

They left the radio on overnight by accident, so it was the sound of classical Christmas music that Kimiko woke up to. That and Shuuichi's heartbeat, which was admittedly something of a surprise considering how restlessly she usually slept. Her abdomen ached slightly from their activities of the previous night, but it made her smile, even as it made her wince a little. And she had to admit, the shower he'd suggested had indeed made a difference with the overall feel of waking up.

Given her internal alarm, she knew it had to be some early hour of the morning; maybe a little after six if she was judging the ambient light properly. For her, that was almost sleeping in. She was tired enough that she didn't much want to get up, though she did shift a little so that she could look up at Shuuichi.

Admittedly, he didn't look that different asleep than he did awake; maybe a bit more peaceful. It was a wonder, a marvel, that things had worked out this well. From friendship to this? It felt almost too much like a dream, one that would vanish if she finished waking up.

Wanting to hold that soft, happy feeling for just a little longer, she closed her eyes and let herself drift off again.

* * *

The alarm woke them both two hours later, and Shuuichi almost immediately regretted setting it; not only had he been enjoying his rest, the suddenness of it had startled Kimiko enough that she had shoved away from him, and ended up on the floor. Which really hadn't helped make it a pleasant awakening...

He reached over after a moment to shut the ringing analog clock off, then peered over the edge of the bed where Kimiko lay in a muttering, touchy heap. After a moment of study he decided that perhaps it would be best to _not_ say anything, and simply get up.

He eased back the blankets that he'd changed while Kimiko showered the night before, and moved so that he wouldn't hit or step on her when he stood, prompting her to pull herself into a fairly compact bundle of arms and legs. He'd _hoped_ that she might be a deep sleeper; the idea of giving her a breakfast in bed was appealing, but it was clear enough that those hopes were quite dashed.

When he offered his hand, she waved it off and stood up on her own, rubbing her shoulder slightly.

"My apologies," he said, gently touching her arm. "I had forgotten just how loud that clock was..."

"Why did you even use that one?" she groused.

Clearly, it was not going to be an easy morning. But he could hardly blame her, being startled awake really wasn't a way _to_ wake up. Especially not for someone with her reasons to worry.

"I wanted to be sure we woke?" he offered after a moment of thought.

The look she gave him suggested that she was seriously considering smacking him. But, after a moment she sighed, and looked away, rubbing the back of her neck. It was probably the closest thing to a concession he was going to get at the moment, so he was glad to take it. He debated for a moment, then leaned over and quickly kissed her on the cheek.

She startled, and pulled away, a blush quickly coming and going as she stared at him in moderate surprise. Then, slowly, a smile worked onto her face; inwardly he sighed a bit in relief. He hadn't been too certain that would work.

"Yes, okay, all right, good morning," she said, giving him a light, fond push. "What time _is_ it?"

"Eight," he said, smiling back. "I thought we might have a calm morning breakfast, and then I could show you your gift before we collected Yukina-san and went to Master Genkai's."

"...that sounds nice," Kimiko said with a little nod. "I guess we did get kind of... distracted before you could show me what it is. Do I have to wait for after breakfast?"

She looked more curious than impatient, and he chuckled a little.

"I suppose if you'd like to see it now, there's no harm in that. It's not necessarily time sensitive. Would you like to?"

She nodded.

"Close your eyes.."

He saw the curiosity increase before she obliged, and he took her hand, leading her out into the main room, then turning to the spare room. He opened the door, and flicked on the light, wincing a little at the brightness of it, then pulled her gently forward.

"All right, open them."

* * *

Kimiko winced a little as she opened her eyes to a bright overhead, then blinked a little as she took in the room before her. It wasn't as large as his, but something about it said that she was home, _truly_ home in a way that her apartment still failed to capture after all these years.

" _How_ did I miss you moving furniture?" she finally asked, walking slowly into the middle of the room.

"Well, it has been rather busy these past couple of weeks," he replied; she could hear the smile in his voice. "And I've kept the door closed whenever you stayed for longer than a chat. I didn't want to spill the secret too soon."

"Where'd you get it all? How did you..."

The room wasn't a match for the one from her childhood; that one had been burned down by an arsonist, and it had been lucky that everyone had been out of the house at the time. It wasn't even a match for one that had been in their following apartment. No, this was the sort of room she'd seen in shows and anime, quietly wishing for, while knowing there wasn't much of a chance she'd ever _actually_ get it.

The bed was small, a cream-colored four-poster with a gauzy golden canopy, draped in lavender blankets and sheets. There was a matching dresser against the wall, with brass-gold handles and elaborate carvings on the drawer faces, and a nightstand next to the bed with a small brass and glass touch-lamp on it.

The desk next to the window was an old-fashioned one with an attached, empty bookshelf. On it was a closed laptop and mouse, and a small succulent, while next to the desk, directly under the window, was a small, startlingly poofy couch in a warm golden-brown.

"I was as uncertain as you about finding the right gift," he said as she turned to face him. "I thought that perhaps you would like to have your own space here... if only to cut down on the discussions about which one of us would take the couch."

Despite feeling overwhelmed, she had to laugh a little; she wasn't spending _all_ her time here, no, but a good portion of it did end with her dozing off on him in some manner.

"As for how, I called your brother, and your friends, and asked them what they thought you might like. Keiko-san was the most helpful, I admit. Then I simply looked around until I found what seemed closest to their advice."

"Shuuichi... This can't have come cheap."

He lifted a hand and brushed her cheek lightly; she leaned into the caress, seeking comfort for her stunned mind.

"They all helped," he said with a faintly wry smile. "On days where I knew you would be too busy, I took the train and one by one, they all helped, both with the purchases and putting things together. Your brother wanted me to pass on that he hopes you like your gifts."

She couldn't help tearing up, and she leaned against him, curling her fingers in the soft flannel of his pajama shirt as she worked to not cry. He held her, gently smoothing her hair as she regained control, then surprised her with a kiss on her forehead when she pulled back.

"...I guess I made this all a bit superfluous last night," she said after a minute, half turning to look over the room again.

"While you are more than welcome to share my bed and my space," and she glanced up to see that fond, teasing smile on his face, "this space is meant for you. For the days when you don't want company, but want to be near, or if we must be apart and you don't wish to disturb me or be disturbed if it happens to be a very late return. The spare clothing that I was holding in my dresser is now in there," and he gestured towards the dresser, "and that box on top has the spare key I had made for you."

She hadn't noticed the box at first, being too overwhelmed with the rest of the room. It was a small, brass-bound wooden box, very plain, with a swing latch that could be locked as needed. Inside, just as he'd said, was a small key.

"Do... you want me to move in?" she asked tentatively.

"If that is what you would like, I would not object, but if you wish to maintain separate homes, that's fine too," Shuuichi replied. "I didn't do this so that you would feel obligated _to_ move in. It simply seemed the best idea to express... how I feel."

How he felt... it made her heart thump painfully in her chest to know that she was this appreciated, not just by him, but by her friends as well. Words didn't seem like enough, so she flung her arms around him and kissed him.

* * *

The weather had gotten even colder overnight, in an overcast and gloomy way, but it didn't have much of a damper on the bright mood that Kimiko was exuding. Shuuichi smiled to see her so happy; it was a good change from the past few weeks, and made him even more pleased that he had come up with the gift. There had been a moment when she'd been staring where he'd worried he'd overstepped his boundaries...

"It almost feels like it could _actually_ snow here,"she said, adjusting her backpack with the hand that wasn't wrapped snuggly in his.

"We'll be in more than enough once we reach Master Genkai's compound, don't jinx these poor people," he teased gently.

She snorted her amusement, playfully bumping his arm with hers.

"Sometimes I think snow is better than what we get," she replied wryly. "At least the snow if pretty. Ice just causes trouble."

It was hard to argue with that, he had to admit.

"Do you think Hiei will actually show up?" she asked after a moment.

"He might... He's always been a bit difficult to read, but he seems to be marginally curious enough about the events. And you did offer to introduce him to Yukina. I'm more wondering how he'll get there."

Kimiko grinned a little.

"I bet you he rides the top of the train, then stalks us all the way to the compound and stays hidden until I tell him to stop being a creeper."

Shuuichi had to chuckle at that, because it _did_ sound very much like Hiei.

Yukina was waiting for them at the station, a bag of her own near her feet, and she waved as they approached.

"Wow, you two brought quite a bit," she said, red eyes going wide. "Should I have made more?"

It was a fair observation; Shuuichi was carrying a backpack of his own that held the week's necessities and a bit more, plus two extra cloth bags with his portion of food for the party. Kimiko had the same, and she looked a bit embarrassed.

"No, no, this is for... other stuff," Kimiko said hastily. "I'm sure you made plenty."

"It will certainly be interesting once everyone else gets on the train," Shuuichi observed with a faint smile. "It's going to get quite crowded."

" _Now_ who's being a jinx?" And Kimiko lightly bumped his arm again with a snort of amusement. "I know Koenma-san and Botan-san are coming by car, at least... but I kind of wish the rest of us could have one." She paused for a moment then grimaced. "Actually, on second thought, Yuu and Kaz driving is probably a terrible idea, never mind."

Yukina giggled as Kimiko shuddered theatrically, and they headed for the waiting train.

* * *

It took two taxis to get everyone and their offerings to the foot of the compound's stairs; Kimiko and Shuuichi had shared their car with Yukina and Kazuma, while Shizuru, Yusuke and Keiko had been in the other. When it came to climbing the stairs, Keiko—who was starting to show now that she was five months along—lagged behind the rest a bit, and told them repeatedly to not wait for her.

Nobody listened, of course.

The snow was piled deep now, on either side of the haphazardly, wind-swept stairs, cold and pristine. It couldn't compete with the chatter that washed out from the group, chatter that made Kimiko smile as she listened with half an ear as she led the way up. Kazuma was alternating between obvious flirting with Yukina—who seemed to find it amusing—and talking with Shuuichi about university, with Yusuke throwing in the occasional sarcastic comment. Shizuru was helping Keiko, and they seemed to be discussing fashion; Shizuru's beautician work meant that the older woman had to keep abreast of the latest styles.

Occasionally Kimiko would cast a glance to one side or the other, reaching out with her senses to see if she could feel the elusive Hiei, but he was as good as, if not better than she was when it came to masking energy. That he was even there was in question, really; she had found herself wondering regularly if he'd only asked because he knew she hated to owe, and trading favor for information was less discomforting. Though how he could know that...

She mentally shrugged after a moment; if Hiei had been talking to Shuuichi, well, there wasn't much she could do about it, and she knew that Shuuichi was very good at not speaking on things when he didn't want to. She could ask later.

She could sense familiar energy as she crested the stairs and paused to wait for the others, and smiled a little; Jin, it seemed, had not only talked Toya into showing up, but had apparently piqued the curiosity of the rest of them. There were six distinct energy signatures, all of them familiar, and _most_ of them friendly; one could never really tell which way Shishiwakamaru would lean...

"Okay, before we go in, there is something you guys're gonna want to know," she aid once everyone had caught up. "Master Genkai's got some visitors in there, that are friends of mine. Most of them will look like normal people... for a given definition of normal, but they're not. They're demons."

"Demons?" Keiko looked uneasy.

"Yup. Don't worry, they're harmless. I rescued most of them from getting their asses beat," and Kimiko grinned wryly. "They usually play least in sight, but I figure we're all mature enough to let go of some secrets that aren't really a big deal. C'mon~" 

* * *

It was an interesting first meeting, to be sure. Shuuichi had met Jin and Toya, but the other four—Suzuki, Shishiwakamaru, Chu, and Rinku—were new to him as well. Chu, he noticed, reeked of booze, and he caught the slight face Kimiko made at him for it. Of the rest, Shishiwakamaru stood aloof, though his eyes tended to sharply follow Kimiko; Rinku looked disappointed that there weren't any other people his size, and Suzuki was moderately pleasant if a bit on the odd side.

Jin and Yusuke seemed to hit it off at once, and he say Kimiko shaking her head in resigned amusement as they started chatting a mile a minute about fighting.

"Is everyone going to stand outside or are you coming in so that all this food doesn't go to waste?" came the crabby bark of the old master. "And what's with all the extra bags?"

Kimiko grinned at her master, and Shuuichi smiled to see it; she looked at least mostly back to her typical self.

"Well, we thought we'd contribute, of course," she said, her voice cheerfully teasing. "Plus, presents."

Genkai snorted a little, moving aside so that everyone could tromp in.

"You don't fool me, girl. You think I can't feed all of you?"

"Well, we're still waiting on Koenma-san and Botan-san. Maybe Hiei too, if he decides to stop hiding out," Kimiko offered a shrug. "I figured better safe than sorry."

"I think this is the most people that've been here in weeks," Jin observed. "All for some human holiday?"

"A heavily commercialized one," Kimiko replied cheerfully. "But hey, food and presents!"

Shuuichi chuckled, and shook his head a little; this was bound to be an interesting day.

* * *

"-so then, the hunter booked it because I threatened to break his other arm, and I had to haul Jin out of the dumpster and drag him home," Kimiko finished, grinning at her red haired friend who only shrugged with a wry smile of his own. "It took a week before he was mobile enough to get out here."

"You've been doing this for years and never said a word, huh..." Shizuru looked impressed, sipping slowly at the beer that Chu had brought. "I don't know whether to be impressed or annoyed that I never picked up on it."

"Well, I wasn't pointed at anything huge while I was still in school," Kimiko replied, taking another cookie from the plate.

"That's because you were still a trainee," Koenma interjected from where he sat, a half-peeled orange in his hands. "A gifted one, sure, but still a trainee. I've learned not to throw those at big problems unless there's no other option."

"Yes, and learned it the hard way too," Botan said with a huff. "We lost a few very good people in your learning process."

Kimiko giggled at the sour look Koenma tossed his head assistant.

"Yes, well, no one's perfect," her retorted. "And it was decades ago. You can stop bringing it up at any time."

Botan just huffed, setting off a round of amusement.

"Anyways, I met the rest in pretty much the same manner. Except Toya. Toya tried to kill me."

Toya, to his credit, looked embarrassed; Kimiko grinned.

"He was lookin fer me," Jin said, his own grin broad as he lanced towards his friend. "But he's never been a biggie human fan, so he thought that since Kimiko here was the last tae see me, she must've done it in fer me."

"It... did take some effort before I listened," Toya admitted, blushing a little.

" _Some_ effort?" Kimiko snorted. "It took three dumpsters and a brick wall! _And_ almost passing out from blood loss."

"That was as much your fault as mine."

"Says the man with the ice sword."

"So that's why you canceled that one outing on me at the last second!" Yusuke said, pointing at her sharply.

"Well, yes. You'd be pissed and want to kick ass; Toya would've taken you apart, and really, once the misunderstanding was cleared up, he chilled out a lot."

"...that was a terrible pun," Kazuma commented, helping himself to another bowl of ramen.

"What?"

Keiko and Yukina both giggled, as Kimiko blinked in confusion. Chu, after a moment, burst out laughing, and waved his own beer around. After a moment, everyone else seemed to get the joke too, and there was a mix of laughter and groans while Kimiko sighed in resignation.

"Unintentional, I promise. But I swear, it's like I picked up your ability to make friends by smacking them," and she pointed mock-accusingly at her brother. "What's up with that?"

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault you turned out like this, blame him!"

Yusuke gestured towards Koenma, who did snicker a little.

"I can't really deny that, it _is_ sort of our fault that you ended up this way."

"Yeah, but he started it. Well, him and Kaz," Kimiko said with a huff. "You two never can hold a long conversation without picking fights at least once."

"Well, maybe if he used his brain every now and again, I wouldn't think he's such a dumbass."

"Hey, I went into college, so who're you callin a dumbass?!" Kazuma squawked.

"...good going Kimi, now you got them started," Shizuru sighed.

"There's plenty of snow on the grounds," Jin offered. "We could always cool em off that way."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Keiko said.

"No snow in the house," Genkai interjected firmly. "If you're going to be that childish, go outside."

"You heard Master Genkai," Kimiko said with a grin. "Let's go work off some of this food, then come back for more!"

* * *

The ensuing snowball fight was impressive; Jin, Yusuke, and Kazuma were the first three participants, but stray snowballs also dragged in Shishiwakamaru, Suzuki, Kimiko, and Botan. When Kimiko finally felt Hiei's energy, she threw one at him too, just to see what would happen.

It took five hits before he finally retaliated, and soon became embroiled in stealth attacking people with mounds of snow. While she was certainly the first recipient, she was not the last, as his attack on her got him attacked by Yusuke.

Yukina and Keiko went around to the side so that they could make snow people, which Toya and Shuuichi lent their hands to as well. Koenma, Shizuru, and Genkai all stayed on the porch with tea, just watching.

"She's come quite a long way since we first sent her to you," Koenma commented, half-smiling as Kimiko jumped on Jin and forced him face-first into a drift. "I'm still not sure she even realizes what first jump-started her spirit energy."

"Probably not," Genkai replied, watched with a faint hint of fond amusement. "I've never seen a reason to enlighten her either. It's a bit of a pity about the boy, but she's a good student."

"What _did_ jump start her powers?" Shizuru asked. "She was already pretty strong by the time Kazuma and Yusuke stopped trying to beat each other up, and we all met."

"Her brother very nearly died in a car accident," Koenma said after a long, thoughtful pause. "She got there just seconds before, and the desperation and panic pushed through the initial barrier she had against it. It's still a bit of a shame that we need her to be a fighter at all. She'd make one heck of a healer."

"She _does_ make one hell of a healer," Genkai said a little testily. "And unlike the dimwit, she doesn't half-ass her life. Well, not often," she amended. "Getting her to meet Shuuichi took some effort."

Shizuru mulled this over briefly, then nodded a little.

"Yeah, I heard about that; kid had to spend a week in a hospital, and she said the doctors said it was a miracle he'd survived without getting too badly hurt. I think that's when things turned around a little for them... She doesn't actually talk about it that much. But how'd you guys find out?"

"Well, she broke through in such a spectacular way that it was difficult _to_ miss. Granted, it was also fast enough that we almost did anyways; it took us some time to actually track her down after the incident..." Koenma shook his head a little. "We knew she had potential, so once we had established a fairly sincere rapport, we pointed her here, to see if she could be taught."

"I still say the whole secrecy from your hunters bit is a pain in the ass," Genkai muttered, taking a sip of her tea.

"You know what can happen if those high level demons find us out," Koenma replied. "Besides, most of them don't care enough; they accept that we can point them in the right direction and pay them once the job is done."

He looked about to say more when a snowball hit him full on in the face, knocking him backwards.

"Oops! Sorry Koenma-sama!"

He spluttered a little as he sat up, scraping snow off his face while the rest of them laughed.

"Oh, it's _on_ now."

Botan yelped as Koenma jumped off the porch... then laughed as he was immediately bombarded by snowballs from every angle.

* * *

"You know, that went a lot better than I thought it was going to," Kimiko said drowsily as she watched both demons and humans playing video games.

Shuuichi put an arm around her, and she leaned against him contentedly.

"It certainly seems to have worked out quite well. Though how you will deal with both Jin and Yusuke playing brother to you, I am not certain."

That made her giggle.

"Same as ever. Jin's always reminded me of Yuu, so it's not too surprising that they're getting along like that. I can probably shut them down, even if they tag-team me. Hell, even Hiei almost looks like he's having fun. I think."

Said demon was not involved in the gaming competition, but he was still there, casually watching. Mostly watching Yukina and Kazuma, with a wariness that was so familiar she had to smile.

"Did he say anything specific to her?" Shuuichi asked, having followed her gaze.

"Mn, no. She thanked him very politely for not killing me, and he looked embarrassed, which was perfect for my petty revenge."

Shuuichi chuckled a little as Kimiko grinned, very satisfied with herself.

"As long as I've known him, he's been looking for her," he said,his voice thoughtful. "Among other things. I wonder why he wouldn't say anything?"

"You're more likely to get that answer than I am, Shuu," she said, yawning a little. "Though I did want to ask you something..."

"Yes?"

"Do you two talk?"

"He visits sometimes... He's not necessarily a talkative sort unless something annoys him. Apparently, your fighting choices do."

That made her giggle a little.

"Yeah, he's said that to me too. For all he's laconic, he's kind of impetuous, isn't he? I've never gotten the same feeling off of him that I do from either Toya or Yukina... but then, he's never used anything around me except that sword of his."

"Unfortunately, all I know of Hiei is that his life has been precarious, and difficult, even for a demon. Much more solitary than mine ever was."

"How'd you meet?"

Shuuichi was quiet for a moment, as Kimiko resettled herself against his shoulder.

"I've told you that I was a thief, and a fairly good one. Over time, I accumulated something of a following, and to go with my reputation. It was a point of pride that I could slip past hunters and take the things they guarded, so I never bothered to quiet the gossip. Hiei came to me seeking help on a job, not for an artifact, but to find a particular demon..."

"Yatsude."

Kimiko jumped, then muttered a curse at Hiei, who smirked a little. How long he'd been standing there she wasn't certain, having been watching her friends beating each other at the fighting game.

"Yes," Shuuichi nodded.

"I thought he might have consumed my sister," and the short demon affected a shrug. "But that was not the case. We killed him easily."

"Easily, he says," Shuuichi smiled ruefully. "It took us two weeks to track him, and a day to ensure he was properly dead. I am not sure that qualifies as 'easy.'"

"Hmph. It only took so long because you were trying to analyze everything about him. Including whether he had secrets worth stealing."

Kimiko giggled a little as Shuuichi sighed ruefully.

"It was more sensible than your plan to rush in and just start murdering," he replied patiently. "You wouldn't have learned as much if we'd done it your way."

Hiei made a sound that suggested disagreement, his gaze shifting away in what looked to Kimiko to be embarrassment.

"It wasn't long after that when your habit almost got you killed. Like I said it would," he finally retorted.

"Ah, but I didn't actually die. I just changed."

"Semantics."

It felt like she was listening to a tamer version of Yusuke and Kazuma. She doubted there would be any chance of a brawl, but that didn't make it any less amusing. Clearly, despite years apart, they had managed to remain good friends.

"What will you do now?" Kimiko asked after a moment, when Hiei showed no signs of moving away. "You've found your sister, even if you don't seem inclined to actually say she is..."

"And you won't either, if you know what's good for you," he said irritably. "That's none of your business."

"Hiei..."

Kimiko just lightly patted Shuuichi on the arm, cutting him off.

"Suit yourself. But she came looking for you, just as much as you went looking for her. And speaking as someone who _does_ have a brother, I'd certainly want to know."

"It's none of your concern," he said... but he sounded considerably less annoyed.

She shrugged mentally, and yawned again.

"I think I'm going to bed. Tomorrow's probably going to be a bit on the crazy side."

Shuuichi nodded, and kissed her temple lightly, making her smile even as Hiei made a faintly annoyed sound.

"I hope you sleep well, Kimiko."

She stepped away, then hesitated, half-turning to look at him.

"...you'll come when you're tired,won't you?"

She saw him blink; she'd surprised him. Then he smiled warmly at her and nodded. Kimiko smiled back, feeling abruptly shy, flitted a wave at Hiei—the only one actually paying any sort of attention due to his current position—and headed off to go curl up in her bed.

* * *

"Has she tamed you, or you her?" Hiei asked, once Kimiko was out of sight.

"Perhaps it is a mutual thing," Shuuichi replied, shrugging lightly and smiling faintly. "And I would not say that either one of us is tame. Just... connected."

"Hmph. Watch yourself among these humans, Kurama. You might have a human body, but you're still a demon at the end of the day."

"That almost sounds like concern, Hiei," and Shuuichi glanced down at his friend with a teasing smile.

"Just because _I_ don't intend to kill her doesn't mean that the Torguros will stop. I expect the next targets won't be her. But it might be them."

Shuuichi glanced up at the burst of noise from humans and demons alike as a decisive winner for the on-screen brawls was decided. Koenma and Botan had already fallen asleep in one corner of the room, leaning on one another; Rinku was sprawled out in one of the large beanbag chairs with Shishi in imp form, Chu in another, still holding the bottle of sake he'd been drinking. Shizuru and Keiko had gone off to bed an hour ago. As he watched, Yukina got to her feet with a yawn and left the room, clearly heading for bed herself. The rest... well, he wouldn't envy the humans having to catch the train in the morning.

"...yes. That thought has crossed my mind, and no doubt hers as well. Most of them can easily defend themselves, however."

" _Most_ of them. But not all."

"Short of assigning people to look after them, there's little that can be done for that. Unless you have a suggestion."

"There's always faking her death," Hiei said, half-shrugging.

"She would never agree to that, and there are too many people here who do not have your poker face."

"That's her problem. And yours now, I suppose, if you're going to become this attached."

Shuuichi sighed a little; Hiei was his friend still, but sometimes he was difficult to deal with.

"Koenma offered to pay me to go back and get more information," he said abruptly. "Managing a demon hunting team seems a little bit of a downgrade from his former position."

"Until things in that world settle, assuming they ever do, he seems to be as stuck here as any other human," Shuuichi shrugged a little. "From what I have been told, things still function, but not as well as they once did. Are you going to take the offer?"

"I might as well. Living in this human world takes an annoying amount of money."

"It does at that. But it's not all bad."

"Speak for yourself."

"Your sister seems to enjoy it."

Hiei glared; Shuuichi chuckled a little.

"Just let her know that I'm not going to be around to bail her out of her stupid mistakes for a while," he said irritably. "If she's smart, she'll kill anyone who comes at her."

Shuuichi just sighed, and turned his attention back to the renewed gaming brawl.

* * *

Kimiko had been mostly asleep when she felt her blanket move, someone slipping in next to her; even knowing that she had invited Shuuichi, she still snapped into a battle-ready awareness until she could confirm the familiar feel of his energy, at which point she relaxed again.

"Are they still going?"she mumbled, yawning.

"Yes. You have some very competitive friends and family," he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "somehow, I suspect that Yusuke and Kazuma will be playing that game until they pass out... but they will never beat Master Genkai."

She snorted a little, and rolled over so that she could curl into his shoulder, draping an arm across his chest. He wrapped his arm around her in response and she relaxed a bit more, feeling content.

"Nope... She has all the free time in the world; she's a master of more than just physical fighting."

"Yes. You should rest now, Kimiko. It will be morning soon enough."

She nodded a little in agreement; old her master was, but that didn't mean too much with the amount of energy Genkai had. It was better to be as rested as possible, because it was going to be a very long week.


	16. Fifteen

Fifteen

"You have to _slow down_ , Botan, I can barely understand you. Okay, I caught a name there... Koe- _what?_ "

The week had progressed about as Kimiko had predicted it would to him; busy, and painful. Genkai was a strict taskmistress, and many of her training methods were... well, a lesser person could easily have been killed by them. Learning to fight as a pair, both of them attacking the old woman... had always gone in favor of said old woman, but they were improving.

In light of New Year's Eve, Genkai had been only half as tough on them as usual, which admittedly wasn't saying much. They hadn't expected a phone call, and Kimiko had taken it with more curiosity than concern.

There was concern now, and Kimiko was looking borderline angry as she listened to Botan on the other end. Shuuichi sat up from the stretching he'd been doing, watching her carefully.

"Okay, okay, get here as quick as you can, and we'll try to sort this out. We'll be waiting!"

She set the phone carefully back onto the cradle and let out a slow breath.

"Kimiko?"

"...apparently someone kidnapped Koenma."

Shuuichi blinked.

"How on earth..?"

"Botan's not sure; he stepped out to take funds to the bank, and two hours later she got a ransom letter. I couldn't get a lot out of her; she's frantic."

She looked somewhere between worried and angry. Getting up, he reached out and lightly rested his hand on her shoulder; Koenma and Botan were not just her employers now, they were valued and trusted friends; any threat to them would be dealt with accordingly, he could see that in her face.

"Any chances it's connected to the Toguros?"

"Doubtful," Genkai interjected before Kimiko could do more than blink in surprise. "I can see them threatening Koenma, but kidnapping was never their style."

"With respect, that was over fifty years ago," he replied.

"From the way Botan was talking, I think I'm with Genkai. This sounds way more related to whatever infighting is taking place. I mean, they've threatened me directly at least twice, kidnapping seems too sharp a change."

He wasn't too certain he agreed with them, but he could see that both of them were fairly resolute and decided it wasn't worth trying to argue the point.

"Do we sit and wait, then?"

Kimiko shook her head in unison with Genkai.

"Even if she uses other methods of travel, it'll still take some time to get here," Genkai replied.

"We need to find the others; or Jin and Toya at least. They're the most useful. Chu too, I suppose, though who knows with his drunk ass," Kimiko frowned a little. "It's too bad we don't know where the hell Hiei is; he'd probably come in handy too."

"Possibly, but he may do better where he is, trying to get us more information," Shuuichi replied. "How do we find those three?"

"They shouldn't be too far... don't they come up for New Years, Master?"

"Yes, and they did say they'd be here, but that's not for a few hours. We're likely to need them faster. Given the emergency aspect, I'd say let's use the beacon."

Shuuichi blinked, as Kimiko nodded.

"Beacon?"

"It's an energy flare I worked out with the boys a few years back," she said, smiling a little at him. "Considering I don't flare unless I'm pushed to my limit, it should bring most of them as fast as they can move."

"Yes, and prepared for a fight; let's hope it's time enough."

* * *

Botan was there before anyone else, riding what looked like an oar of all things. She looked in a panic, and almost fell down on the dismount.

"Kimiko, we have to hurry! What are you doing?"

"Waiting for the boys,"Kimiko replied, steadying her friend. "If someone's kidnapped Koenma, it's probably going to take more than just me and Shuuichi to get him back in one piece. We need more information too."

"Oh... y-yes, I suppose that's... sensible."

"Did you bring the letter?" Shuuichi asked as Botan anxiously wrapped both her hands around her oar.

"Yes! Here."

She proffered it to Kimiko, who opened it up and quickly scanned it.

 _If I do not receive the Golden Seal by sundown, I will throw Koenma into the magma pools of Magma Valley._

"What's this golden seal?"

"It's this," and Botan pulled it out of her pocket, handing a golden stamp to Kimiko who studied it curiously. "When King Enma was still in charge of the Spirit Realm, before everything imploded, this seal was the sign of his authority; it still is. Koenma-sama's been keeping it safe so that no one can lay claim to the rule without him."

"Wait, so does that mean the infighting is sort of Koenma's fault?"

"No!" Botan practically shouted the denial. "He took it to make sure no one underhanded tries to take control!"

"If he had the seal, why stay here?" Shuuichi asked.

"An interesting, if currently irrelevant question," Genkai interrupted. "More importantly, where is this Magma Valley?"

"It's in spirit world, not terribly far from the Gates of Judgment," Botan replied. "I can show you the way, but we've got to hurry..."

"Jin and Toya are coming," Kimiko said reassuringly. "If not more. I know you want to rescue him right away, but just hold on. We'll get him back, Botan."

"Yes. Better to go in with backup than to have it lagging behind," Shuuichi agreed.

Botan nodded, looking only moderately reassured, and she looked anxiously up at the sky. Kimiko patted her gently on one shoulder, then stuck the seal on her own pocket after giving it another searching stare; there was nothing mystical about it, it was just a seal made out of gold. Impractical in her mind, and it raised several new questions.

After a moment of pondering, she pushed the questions aside and hopped up onto the wall as she felt the approach of Jin and Toya.

* * *

"You're tellin me the former bigshot of Spirit World got himself nabbed?" Jin made a dismayed noise.

"That will cause a number of problems in the spirits department for sure," Toya said.

"Yes, and that's why we have to leave _right now_ ," Botan insisted, hopping up on her oar. "Come on!"

"I'll stay here and tell the others where you've gone; maybe one of them will know it," Genkai said. "Tell him he's a bonehead for me."

"Yes, Master," Kimiko said with a wry smile. "Once we pull him out of the lava, I'll let him know."

"Good. Now get moving."

It was easier said than done, but Botan was able to make a portal that they could run through into the spirit world; they ended up on a narrow, rocky road that hung in midair; behind them stood a large imperial palace, ahead of them the road sloped downwards, heading towards a canyon. Botan shot forward, and Kimiko ran hard after her.

"We don't even know what this kidnapper guy looks like, do we?" Jin called, as he easily kept pace with the blue-haired woman.

"Not a clue," Kimiko called back. "But I'm _pretty sure_ it won't be hard to figure out!"

"Less talking, more running!" Botan demanded.

"Says the one who's flying."

"We have to hurry! It's already getting late..."

The sun—or what passed for it—was admittedly heading in a downward direction; Kimiko picked up the pace as much as she could.

The canyon they passed through looked like it had once been a series of mines... or perhaps it still was, and the workers had finished for the day. Scaffolding, pipes, and giant metal bars littered the area making it hazardous for the unwary and the running. They were going fast enough that when the hands started popping up out of the ground, Kimiko missed it, and nearly fell flat on her face when one grabbed her ankle. Years of training helped her turn it into a diving roll, but it was a near thing.

"What the hell?" she demanded, back on her feet.

The rest skidded—or floated—to a halt as demons pulled themselves up out of the ground both ahead and behind.

"This area belongs to us," one of them said, brandishing his sword with a sneer. "No one comes through without paying a toll."

"You can move, or you can be punched; right now, I don't really care," Kimiko retorted. "I happen to be on a time limit."

"It's pretty dangerous to be walkin around with somethin so weighty as that Golden Seal, little girl," the demon replied. "Why don't you give it to us?"

"I have a better idea. Jin? Clear the road."

"Aye!"

The wind demon grinned at the demons in his path, wrapped himself in a shell of air, and shot forward. They were flung to either side by the hard wash of air, and the small band lept over the fallen demons.

"So, clearly this was set up as an ambush," Shuuichi said, dodging to the side as demons at the tops of the cliffs to either side started trying to drop heavy rocks on their heads.

"Yup!" Kimiko replied, leaping high over a steel beam. "To bad for them it failed! Jin's good in these sorts of situations."

It was hard to disagree with that; anything that encountered that hard air shell that the demon was wrapped in was flung away.

"How do you think it got out?" Toya asked.

"Best guess? Whoever took Koenma wanted to make sure that we wouldn't get there in time, _or_ with the seal," Kimiko replied.

"So we can look forward to more delays," Shuuichi said grimly, readying his whip as the canyon demons tried one last time to block them in.

The razor-sharp thorns easily tore through the rocks that had been falling, becoming little more than an annoying dust cloud that they darted through, into open territory. Botan shifted direction slightly, and they ended up next in a dead forest.

"Pleasant place," he remarked.

Kimiko flashed a grin at him, pleased by the dry remark; it was more fun to have a partner who spoke fluent sarcasm in times like this. Better than being left to her own thoughts.

"Points for spooky, minus some f-Botan, look out!"

The attack came from ahead this time, and the warning almost came too late; Botan jinked hard upwards, avoiding the dead vines that reached for her. Shuuichi made a faintly contemptuous sound and shattered the branches with his whip.

"Dead wood is no match for live."

There was a screech of anger from the nearby trees, and Kimiko ducked as a new wave of dead branches tried to ensnare her.

"Go," he ordered. "Leave this to me, I will catch up."

She glanced at him as his whip cut the air, nodded, and continued running, silently blessing all the stamina training Master Genkai had put her through before this. When a flying demon came at them, he made friends with Jin first, who threw him to the ground with a crunch.

"Sorry boyo, no time ta play!"

The forest gave way to more stone, a half tunnel, and more demons trying to jump them; Toya formed a blade of ice around his hand, using it to attack the demons directly ahead. Jin reformed the shield of hard air, cheerfully launching as many of them out of the way as possible. Kimiko just used her fists when it was required, though she preferred using the demons as springboards instead.

"How much farther is it?" she called to Botan as they hit the end of the tunnel.

"Just over these cliffs," was the reply.

'These cliffs' were still quite a ways ahead, and the sun seemed to be setting faster here... either that or they had been more delayed than she'd thought.

"Jin, gimme a boost! It'll be faster if we go in a straight line!"

Jin glanced back and nodded, angling himself downward and releasing the wind shied; Kimiko jumped, landing more or less neatly on his back and held on as he shot after Botan, leaving Toya to bring up the rear.

They reached the lip of the volcano with moments to spare, and Kimiko looked down into the angry glow of lava, seeking out any sign of her employer and friend.

"There!" Botan said, pointing urgently.

On a crumbling spit of land, two figures watched a third, bound to a pole that leaned precariously over the edge of the lava. As they watched, a few bits of rock crumbled, making the pole jerk a bit more. Botan drew in a sharp breath.

" _Hey!_ " Kimiko yelled. "Up here assholes! I've got your stupid seal!"

And she pulled it out of her pocket, waving it around to catch the light.

Down below, she watched as what seemed to be a small child ordered a hulking figure to do... something. It did, with reluctance, grabbing the pole Koenma was tied to and hauling it up, away from the lava. It then used the pole to point at a different, more sturdy piece of land; clearly the spot where the trade was supposed to take place.

"All right, let's get in there. Toya, go back for Shuuichi; no offense, but with this heat, your ice isn't going to stick around."

The former ninja nodded, and turned to go back for the plant user while Kimiko, Jin, and Botan all headed for the island in the middle of the lava.

* * *

"...this tiny punk is in charge?" Kimiko raised an eyebrow at the small apparition.

"Hey! The name's _Koashura_ , and I'm serious! If you want this jerk back, give me that seal!"

Koashura stamped his foot, and Kimiko just pinched the bridge of her nose, glancing over at Koenma who was still trying to catch his breath. They had only removed him from the pole, not untied him, and the big one had a look on his face that suggested he was quite willing to bodily _throw_ Koenma over the edge if she didn't comply.

"Fine. Here's the seal, now let him go."

She flipped it through the air, wishing there had been time to fabricate a fake. As it hit the ground, Koashura scampered forward gleefully picking it up.

"Now _I_ can rule spirit world!" he chortled.

Koenma was shoved at them, and Botan scrambled forward to help untie him; the young man leaned against her, panting for breath, then looked up, his brown eyes hard. Before he could say anything, however, the large demon that had been working with Koashura reached over the boy and picked up the seal between two claws.

"H-Hey! Garuga, what're you doing, this seal is mine!"

"Hmph. Get off, tiny thing," Garuga sneered a little, flicking his wrist. " _I_ will have the power over life and death."

Koashura cried out in panic, and angry or not, Koenma dove after him, catching him just barely before he could fall off the edge of the cliff... not that it kept them both from going over. Botan yelped, and conjured up her oar, jumping onto it.

"I'm coming, Koenma!"

"Botan, his tail, watch-"

The warning came too late; Botan had been too focused on getting to Koenma and Koashura to notice that Garuga had transformed; taller, looking less like a low-level apparition, his tail lashed out at a speed that eclipsed Botan's knocking her off her oar and hard to the ground.

"Hey now, I recognize this biggie, he's Yasha, from the most wanted lists!"

Kimiko could hear Koenma struggling to hold on, and felt her temper spiking. It took a lot to make her truly, properly angry, but this demon had just crossed a pretty severe line.

"...Jin. Get Botan, get Koenma and that kid, and get them back to safety. I'll deal with this guy."

She didn't wait to hear if he'd argue, she just took a running leap at the demon, hands coated in lavender energy. She was damn well going to make this bastard pay for hurting her friends.

* * *

Shuuichi arrived in time to see Kimiko go flying into a wall with a yelp, impacting the stone hard enough that she sank into it at least a few inches before falling to the small spit of cliff just below. He felt stirrings of anger, and didn't wait to see what Toya might do; that was his partner down there, and he was not going to have her fight alone.

He intercepted the large demon that was going after her, lashing out with the rose whip mostly just to get him to back off. It worked, more or less; the demon jumped back, landing on a different piece of land as Shuuichi landed next to Kimiko.

"Are you all right?" he asked as she slowly pushed herself upright.

"Hits like a truck," she muttered, wrapping an arm around her ribs. "Nn... something broke, but... should be okay."

He risked a glance at her; she had a few cuts and bruises, no doubt from the demon's claws, but the look on her face was stubborn determination.

"He has the seal, then?"

"Only way I could get Koenma back. Now we need to get that seal back."

"Close range fighting seems like a bad idea, all things considered."

She made a face, getting to her feet finally as the demon reoriented on them and hefted a huge boulder.

"...Fine. You want an energy projectile to the face, you can have an energy projectile to the face! Shuuichi, left!"

He jumped left as Kimiko went right, dodging the boulder easily enough. As he handed on another bit of land, he watched as lavender energy filled her hand, then launched forward towards the demon.

Who laughed, and flipped open his chestplate.

Shuuichi had only a few moments to recognize what was happening, but his body moved even before he'd fully registered, throwing himself at Kimiko in a bid to knock her out of the way.

* * *

Shuuichi hit the ground before her, clothes smoking with the reflected energy of her energy blast. She looked down at him, briefly uncomprehending of what had just happened.

"Shu... ichi?"

Yasha laughed as she knelt carefully, reaching out to touch Shuuichi's shoulder.

"Look at that, a demon sacrificing himself for a human," he sneered.

Shuuichi groaned a little at her touch, and she caught her breath on something that felt like a sob of relief. No. No was not the time to freak out or fall apart; Shuuichi was tough, and even reflected, he wouldn't die from this sort of thing.

Her head snapped up as Yasha laughed again. She could feel the extra energy that circled through her, responding to her temper, and embraced it, channeling it to her legs and hands.

And then she launched herself at Yasha.

They had been on fairly equal footing from the start; her speed was greater than his by just that little bit, and she had been taking full advantage of that until she'd slipped up and given him that opening. Now, her speed was even grater, and while she didn't necessarily pack the same punch as her brother might have, she didn't necessarily have to.

All she needed was the proper leverage to throw Yasha into the lava.

He howled as he went down, splashing into the molten rock. Kimiko watched for a moment, breathing hard as she fought her temper back down, then turned to make the jump back to Shuuichi. He was sitting up, and smiled weakly at her approach; the smile became a look of alarm, and Kimiko twisted midair to see Yasha come leaping out of the lava.

She landed as he did, and again, Yasha laughed, this time with a mocking edge.

"You didn't _really_ think that was enough to finish me off, did you? Humans. So gullible."

"Kimiko..." Shuuichi's voice caught her attention slightly as she shifted to protect him. "His chestplate..."

She glanced at it, then smiled sharply.

"I'll say it one last time; give back the Golden Seal, or I'm going to kick your ass," she said.

Her voice was raspy from the heat, throat dry. Yasha sneered at her.

"You? You're one pitiful little human! You can't even _hurt_ me!"

Behind her, she heard Shuuichi get up.

"Shuu?"

"Yes?"

"Can you give me a bit of insurance?"

"...gladly."

With a quick flick,the rose whip lashed out, wrapping around Yasha, and pinning his arms to his side; Kimiko super-charged the ball of energy, and even as Yasha fought to free himself, fired. The demon howled in rage, just managing to break the whip... but his chestplate had been sealed shut thanks to some lava.

It was, perhaps, a bit petty of her to be ultimately satisfied at his death, but she hadn't been able to see any other alternative for this.

"You think I should thank Hiei for his advice?" she asked as the Seal floated across the intervening space, to land neatly in her palm.

"He'll only be insufferable if you do," Shuuichi replied.

"...yeah, but is he ever not?"

He smiled faintly at her in response. She tucked the seal into her pocket, then turned to look him over worriedly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes," and very gently he put a hand on her shoulder. "While you are very strong, Kimiko, it will take quite a bit more than that to hurt me."

She breathed a sigh of relief that turned into a gasp of pain; her ribs did not approve of the abuse she'd put them under, and now that the fight was done... well, it was definitely more than just her ribs protesting.

"Come on," he said,very carefully picking her up. "Let's get out of this heat and go check on Koenma and the others."

* * *

They dragged Koashua with them, all the way back to the human realm; Koenma was disoriented and dehydrated, in no state to demand the answers he needed, and Kimiko needed more tending than her own skills would generally allow. Shuuichi made sure to stay mostly clear of the small apparition, not entirely sure he could trust his temper at the moment.

"Just... sit on him until Koenma-sama's better," Botan said once they'd reached the chill of the compound again. "He owes us some answers."

"Y'know..." Kimiko said raspily. "I've heard of crazier New Year's celebrations, but this one definitely takes the cake."

Shuuichi smiled a little down at her.

"No jokes until we've had Master Genkai look at you both," he scolded gently.

"K... Killjoy."

"I see you've brought them back. What's the damage?" Genkai asked, frowning severely at them.

"Koenma-sama's very dehydrated, and needs to rest for a bit," Botan said, her tone anxious.

"I made friends with a rock face," Kimiko offered, her tone surprisingly cheerful.

"Hmph. All right, bring them in. Who's the punk?"

"I'm not a punk!" Koashura protested.

"Koashura," Botan supplied, giving him a sharp look. "He's the one behind the kidnapping."

"This runt?" Genkai did not look impressed.

"He had help," Jin volunteered. "Biggie from the most wanted list, called Yasha. Kimiko and Shuuichi here really put the bang up on him, though!"

"Hmph. If he causes trouble here, _he's_ the one that's going to get flattened. Come 's see what work I need to do."

* * *

The final tally for Kimiko's injuries was three broken ribs, two cracked vertebrae, and numerous hairline fractures throughout her bones. Once Genkai had healed the worst of it, she was tucked into bed with orders to rest up, and Shuuichi was sent with her to make sure she slept. Koenma just needed a chance to sit, and drink a lot of water; once he'd recovered, he turned to look at Koashura with a decidedly unfriendly stare.

"Koashura... this isn't about Kotennya is it?"

"Of _course_ it is!" the tiny apparition burst out, angry tears in his eyes. "You ruined that surprise I'd worked so hard on, and then you two walked away without even _bothering_ to see why I was upset!"

Koenma sighed a little, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"So you had me kidnapped, and almost killed just for that... Koashura, if there's one thing I've learned from my time with the humans, it's that everyone needs to grow up eventually. I've done quite a lot of it while I'm here, but you don't seem to have changed much at all."

"Hah! You might be able to transform into that adult form, but you're still just a kid, like me!" Koashura raged.

"No... I am not. _I_ don't hold grudges for centuries, kidnap others, and try to make them pay for something so minor. _I_ know what it is to be a deposed ruler, still trying to help the people I once looked after. _I_ have grown up. Now I have to figure out what to do with you..."

Koashura went from rage to quivering in a heartbeat. After a moment, Koenma sighed.

"Luckily for you, there's not much I _can_ do. I'll inform your parents, though. They can come up with something, I'm sure."

"Oh maaaaan..."

* * *

"So that's his punishment?" Kimiko asked skeptically. "You told his folks?"

"His parents can come up with far more effective punishments than I can," Koenma shrugged a little. "Between the childhood grudge and being played for a fool, he might actually learn something."

"You should have made him train with Master Genkai," she said with a smirk. "That'll learn _anyone_."

"Genkai has more important things to worry about right now, and so do you. Heal up; you're going to need all the strength you can get."


	17. Sixteen

Sixteen

Kimiko looked from the note, to Koenma, then back.

"...can't even get a week, can I?" she asked rhetorically.

"Afraid not. Botan's out checking to see just how serious they are; we haven't caught any sign of the makaichu yet, but it may simply be that they're waiting to see what you'll do. Respond, or run."

"Well, it's not like I have much choice," she grumbled. "If I run, everyone's going to be threatened by these things. I'd never hear the end of it!"

She saw a flicker of amusement in Koenma's eyes,though his face stayed appropriately sober.

"I've contacted Hiei, and told him that he needs to meet you outside the castle; we can only open a hole in that barrier for a few minutes, so you'll have to be quick."

"The castle has a barrier? How can you have a barrier around that place, and not between worlds?"

"Maze Castle is a single spot in the demon world, regardless of the town that's sprung up below it. It's a small space, and only needs a couple of apparitions to hold it in place. The space between human worlds and demon world is _much_ larger, and while we used to have a net there, to keep out the strongest, the continued infighting among the people of spirit world means we don't have the dedicated forces to keep it running."

"...can't you automate it? Attach it to batteries or something like that?"

"We tried," Koenma sighed a little. "It exploded. Literally."

"Oooo," Kimiko winced. "Damn."

"Yes. I'd suggest you take more than just Hiei and Shuuichi; the four Saint Beasts are nothing to sneeze at. I'll meet you at Genkai's compound tonight, and help you through the psuedospace."

"Why Master Genkai's?"

"Because there's enough energy up there that it'll go unnoticed. Plus, your other allies are there, so it makes sense to start from that point. Anything else?"

"Yeah; what are makaichu?"

"Insects from demon world," Koenma frowned, resting his chin on his folded hands. "They infest those who are weak of mind, driving them to rage and violence. At the start, they may gravitate to the humans who suffer from depression, and violent actions naturally; the longer they are out, the more they will be attracted to the young and vulnerable."

Kimiko paled slightly. Bad enough that it would be adult humans who went crazy for a while, but if that sort of thing infected children...

"Yes. You'd better hurry and prepare. Be sure to warn your family as well; there's no telling which of them could become a target."

She folded up the letter, stuffing it into the pocket of her slacks, then turned and walked briskly out of the office.

* * *

Shuuichi read the short letter twice, raising his eyebrows at the contents.

"They certainly aren't pulling any punches. I wonder what they're being offered to threaten you?"

"At a guess, probably their freedom," Kimiko said, looking irritable. "Koenma said that there's a barrier between their castle and the rest of the demon world, that's been there for a long while. I swear, as soon as I can,I'm kicking someone in the head!"

He winced a little at her vehemence, and glanced down at the paper again.

 _If Kimiko Urameshi refuses to come to Maze Castle before sunrise, I, Suzaku, leader of the Saint Beasts, will use the makai whistle to send out the makaichu throughout her city, and that of her loved ones._

"Before sunrise..."

"Yeah. They're giving me some time, but not a lot. Koenma said he'd gotten hold of Hiei and told him to meet us, and I called Master Genkai on the way here, and asked her to bring me Jin and Toya."

Shuuichi nodded, refolding the note and giving it back to her. She made a face at it, even as she put it back in her pocket.

"Anyways, I'm going back to my apartment to change, but I wanted to tell you first, so you're ready. Do you know anything about the Saint Beasts?"

"Only their names; they correspond to one of the ancient Chinese legends; Suzaku, Byakko, Seiryuu, and Genbu. They've been trapped in that castle for centuries, I believe..."

"Great..."

He watched her rake a hand through her hair, pulling strands loose; she was nervous, and snippy because of it, and really, he couldn't blame her. They had picked the right threat to bring her straight to them, and only the fact that she couldn't _get_ there on her own was what was keeping here in the human realm.

She would not, he decided, welcome casual contact right now; she looked too tense. So he kept his hands to himself, and just watched her for a moment. She looked like she wanted to pace, but instead pulled out her phone and looked something up, before glancing at him.

""The next train isn't for another hour, so that's at least some time to get ready," she said. Then hesitated. "...You will... come with me... won't you?"

"I will, Kimiko," he said, doing his best to project reassurance. "You won't have to deal with Hiei on your own."

She blinked for a moment, plainly caught off guard by the seemingly non-sequitur comment, then grinned a little. Still tense, still upset, but the joke eased the line of her shoulders, and that was really all he'd wanted it to do.

"Thanks, Shuu. Meet you at the station?"

"I'll be there. I'll even bring something to eat so that you don't subject yourself to the store-bought bento."

That got a laugh, and she flicked her fingers at him in a wave before heading out of the greenhouse. Shuuichi tidied up from his work, and went into the store to talk with Kokoda.

* * *

She wore a jacket in concession to the winter weather; it was just too cold for bare arms, even with the bracers. Same with the boots, though she carried her spare shoes in her backpack. She wasn't going to wear her favorite ass-kicking boots—as her brother liked to call them—in the ice and snow.

As promised, Shuuichi met her at the station, carrying a small bag of his own.

"Koenma did tell you, didn't he?" he asked as they got on the train.

"Tell me what?"

"...ah... Time runs different between the realms; you saw that when we had to rush to save Koenma during his kidnapping, yes?"

Kimiko blinked as they found seats, flopping down into hers after tossing her bag into the overhead rack.

"Now that you mention it, we did end up losing almost an entire day, didn't we?"

"Yes. Time in the demon realm may run a bit slower than time in the human realm; no doubt he's already taken that into consideration, but you may want to let your family know that you'll be out of touch for a few days..."

"Mmm... I don't know what to tell them..." she admitted, leaning against him as he sat next to her. "Shizu, Kaz, and Yuu might be able to see the bugs whenever they show up, but whether they can do anything..."

"You won't know without telling them," he said, his tone patient. "And they should know, because this may put them in danger. We cannot say how the Saint Beasts will react when you actually turn up in their territory."

"...Logic," she grumbled.

He chuckled faintly, and kissed her temple.

"Yes. You want to protect them, but you're not sure how; this seems the sensible way. You are required to go visit the problem at its source, therefore, you must now learn which of your family needs true protecting, and which can know more."

She sighed a little, and kissed his cheek in reply.

"All right, all right. Hmmm..."

Who, then, would be the most sensible about it? She mulled the question over as she nibbled on the meal he'd thoughtfully brought, before finally deciding that Shizuru would probably be the best person to start with.

* * *

The portal, when Koenma had finished setting it up, flickered oddly in the starlight. The wave of energy that washed through made Shuuichi shiver just a little, ruthlessly suppressing the eager little voice inside that said he was going home to the demon realm at last. That world was no longer his home, and this was not going to be a pleasant trip.

"Botan's still seen no sign of the insects, but these Saint Beasts aren't beings to take lightly," Koenma warned as Jin and Toya both studied the portal with looks of trepidation. "Whether it's bait or not, I expect you'll have trouble with them either way. So _be careful._ "

"I'll second that," Genkai said from where she stood on the porch, giving the small group a narrow-eyed stare. "I've put ten years into you girl, you'd better come back."

Shuuichi hid a smile as Kimiko turned to grin at her master.

"And risk _your_ wrath if I die?" she said cheerfully. "Not a chance. C'mon boys, let's pay some idiots a visit~"

She didn't wait for them, she turned and jumped through the portal; Jin sighed slightly.

"How do I get m'self talked inta this sort f'thing?" he asked rhetorically.

"She saved your life," Toya replied with a faint smirk, following the brunette.

"...oh. Right."

Shuuichi shook his head in amusement, bringing up the rear.

They came out within sight of the large castle, and the town that sprawled below it; the City of Ghosts had sprung up not long after the four Saint Beasts had been sealed in their castle, beyond the barrier, but within sight of the awe-inspiring landmark. Most in the city were of negligible power level... but there were quite a lot of them.

Shuuichi glanced around carefully as the portal swirled shut at his heels; there was no sign of Hiei, but that didn't mean much. He was either waiting, or had gone on ahead...

"Oh quit your fussing, Kurama," Hiei said, making everyone glance up at the large tree they stood near. "A chance to take on some powerful enemies sounds like fun to me."

He didn't have to look at Kimiko to know that she was rolling her eyes.

"Well, since we're all here, let's get moving. The less time _they_ have to prepare, the better," she said briskly.

Hiei looked mildly insulted to be taking orders from her... but then, Hiei always tended to look mildly insulted when anyone he didn't consider a true ally said something. Shuuichi just shook his head a little, and followed his girlfriend as she headed straight for the castle.

* * *

"Charging in through the front gate is just suicidal," Kimiko argued. "We need to find a side gate, sneak our way in."

"I'm with Kimiko," Toya said, nodding a little. "The best way to maintain any element of surprise is not with a frontal assault."

"Who said anythin about an assault," Jin argued. "I'm just sayin it's not so hard to hop up these walls an be done with it."

"They should see you've come to answer their stupid challenge," Hiei put in, looking bored. "If you worry too much, the sun will rise here, and then you'll be out of luck."

Kimiko gritted her teeth, hating to admit that Hiei might actually have a point. She couldn't help being of two minds about it, though; she could sense the amount of power that flowed out of the castle, and had no intention of rushing into it without seeing who and what there was to fight. But on the other hand, take too long and she _did_ risk her family.

Shuuichi cleared his throat; when she turned to look at him, he pointed. There, set in the castle wall, not too far from where they were arguing, stood a tunnel. An unpleasant, fang-filled looking tunnel, that seemed to glow with a sickly sort of light. Kimiko was willing to swear it hadn't been there thirty seconds ago when the debate had begun.

"...Right. I see they've got terrible taste."

"That is a bit theatrical..." Toya said, one eyebrow raising. "But not unsurprising."

"D'you think it opened just now?" Jin asked as they headed for it. "Like the jaws it looks like?"

"Jin, there are days were you are _definitely_ worse than Yuu," she sighed. "Let's just go in, invite or trap, it doesn't really matter now, does it?"

"Well, I s'ppose not," the wind master admitted with a shrug.

It was a long tunnel, and the light seemed to follow them; when Kimiko risked a glance back, she could just see the tunnel exit, but everything else was deep in shadow. Looking forward, that end grew closer, and the light looked more... natural. More like firelight—torches, she suspected—than whatever was guiding them through the tunnel itself.

As they neared the end, a strange little one-eyed bat-winged creature fluttered down into their line of sight, meeting them only a few feet from the exit.

"Welcome to the Maze Castle," it said. How it was speaking, Kimiko had no idea. "Those who would enter must first be tried by the Gate of Betrayal."

"..Gate of... Uh, no. Not happening. Everybody out!"

Kimiko snapped an energy blast forward, but the bat-thing was fast enough to dodge, fluttering over to the far wall that was visible now that they had reached the exit. The five of them sprinted to the end, Hiei and Toya easily clearing the exit as a panel in the wall slid up, and one of the tentacles of the bat reached for a switch.

It didn't make it; Toya's ice blade flashed out, neatly cleaving the thing across it's golden eye, sending purple ichor fountaining out across the stone floor as it howled in pain, Allowing Shuuichi, Kimiko, and Jin to clear the exit.

"Hmph. Hardly a challenge," Hiei said, scowling as the little bat-thing flew erratically away.

" _Good_ ," Kimiko said vehemently. "I don't think I want to know why it's called the Gate of Betrayal."

But she could guess. How that switch would have worked, she couldn't say, but typically a thing about betrayal didn't have good connotations. Absently she flicked the end of her braid back over her shoulder; hairpins had popped out in the sprint again, damnit. Oh well. As long as it stayed tied back, it was fine.

"I told you we shoulda jumped th wall."

She rolled her eyes in tolerant amusement.

"Okay, yes, it probably would have been easier. But hey, we made it in. Let's get farther in, so that I can educate these idiots on why it's a bad idea to threaten me and mine, hm?"

Jin grinned at her, all affable friend again. She smiled wryly back, well aware that they'd just jumped their first trap, and looked towards the entrance to what might well be the inner bailey.

"That way boys, let's get moving."

The interior was not much more pleasant than the exterior, but at least this time they knew what was lighting the way; every few feet hung chandeliers, blue fires casting an eerie glow on the halls of stone. To either side of the hall they walked down, raised statues of various fanged monsters glowered down at them.

"Cheery place," Kimiko muttered, absently chafing one arm. "Must get the name of their decorator..."

"Assumin they're not dead," Jin said with a grin.

"They do seem that type," Shuuichi agreed. "Even before the barrier went up, they had a reputation for ruthlessness and cruelty. Wanton destruction and chaos seemed to be their favorite things... It's believed that they were setting up to challenge one of the three kings of this realm before everything happened..."

Kimiko blinked, and turned to ask, when they were interrupted by a grating laugh.

"Well well, thanks for the compliments."

The voice seemed to come from the stone around them, and the immediately grouped into a circle; Shuuichi on her right, Hiei on her left, Jin and Toya at her back. The laughter sounded again, and Toya let off a hiss of sound as the ambient light on that side went up.

"There's a door over here. Why not take it?"

A door that hadn't been there moments ago—Kimiko had to wonder if that was just a function of the damn castle—became visible as the light became brighter.

"...convenient..."

There wasn't much option though; wander or take the door. After a moment of hesitation, Kimko sighed, went over to the door, and shoved it open.

The room it led to was a large one, lit with ordinary torches in brackets on tall pillars. At the far end, flickering in the shadows was a stairway that led upwards. The room was _thick_ with energy, however, and Kimiko reached for a burning brand.

"What a gloomsome spot," Jin said, folding his hands behind his head as Kimiko held the brand high in an effort to see farther. "Can't feel the wind at all; air's thick with uck."

"You would notice that," Toya said with a faint smile for his friend.

There; a deeply shadowed spot just between them and the stairwell. Kimiko launched her brand, sending it tumbling through the air to land at the feet of one of the _stranger_ demons she'd seen.

He was a squat demon, looking as much like an ogre as he did anything else. Long arms scraped the floor, and he had what looked to be a turtle-shell of stone for a back. She wouldn't have classified him so much tall as he was wide, and she watched that tail with some trepidation; while he didn't feel as strong as, say, Rando had been, that didn't always mean much. Energy was only _one_ way of measuring strength, after all.

"I am Genbu, of the Four Saint Beasts. Are there any requests before you die?" he sneered a little.

"...a little ambient music wouldn't go amiss," she said after a moment, mock-thoughtfully. "It's painfully quiet here,y'know."

Behind her came three sounds of amusement and one of annoyance. She grinned just a little herself, offering the barest hint of a shrug to her friends.

Genbu was not as amused, and gave her a narrow-eyed stare.

"This stairwell is the only way up. You can either defeat me," and just going by his tone, she suspected he was thinking they couldn't, "or be dragged up once you stop breathing!"

His tail lashed out sideways, digging a large divot into the floor. As far as shows of threat went... it actually wasn't much.

"Why not come at me all at once," Genbu suggested mockingly. "Then the last one to fall won't feel so lonely."

"..hn. This amateur is barely worth the effort," Hiei snorted.

"I will take him."

Kimiko blinked, and glanced over at Shuuichi.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

He stepped forward as she weighed the idea, then sighed a little. It wasn't like she could stop him, and he was strong enough; he would _probably_ be fine.

"If you get killed, you're never living it down," she warned.

He smiled at her, lightly touched her cheek, then continued on.

"So you want to die one at a time?" Genbu snorted a little. "Well, fine, I can do that too."

Shuuichi kept his hands loosely in his pockets, feeling the weight of Kimiko's concerned stare at his back; this was perhaps a bit reckless, but without knowledge of the powers of the Beasts, attacking all at once was a risk they couldn't afford to take. Not that this one seemed particularly strong anyways.

He stopped several feet before Genbu, and politely nodded his head, taking his hands from his pockets; in his right he carried a seed for his preferred weapon. The left remained empty, for the moment at least.

"So then, from anywhere you'd like," he invited.

Genbu chuckled lowly, but didn't appear to move. In the gloomy light, it was hard to see what, if anything, the demon was doing, and Shuuichi watched the beast's torso, looking for an indication of movement.

"...his tail! Shuuichi behind you!"

He turned, leaped, and stifled a soft curse as the sharp stone of Genbu's tail landed a solid blow to his chest. Kimiko swore for him, though she stayed put at his slight gesture.

Genbu laughed mockingly.

"You think this body is only for intimidating looks?" he sneered a little. "I can integrate with any type of rock, and turn it into an extension of my body as I please. I can attack you from _anywhere_ in this chamber."

As he spoke, he began melting into the rock as though it were no thicker than mud. Shuuichi heard Kimiko swearing softly, and glanced over his shoulder to see her expression; she was angry, she was worried... but she wasn't going to interfere until he asked. Good. It wasn't a pleasant injury, to be sure, but he had no intention of being caught off-balance again.

The room was thick with tension as they waited to see where Genbu's attack would come from. Shuuichi caught the faintest hint of energy from behind, and frowned a little, then leaped forward as Genbu attempted to jump him.

"His tail! Watch his tail!" Jin called.

Twisting in a manner that made his injury twinge, Shuuichi managed to just dodge the tail that had been trying to impale him from behind again. Genbu melted back into the floor as he landed in a crouch, one arm crossing his injured chest protectively. His shirt was definitely ruined... but the injury wasn't bleeding badly any longer. Hopefully if he could just...

He launched himself backwards as Genbu tried from the front this time, once more rapidly having to dodge tail and fists. The split-second moment of demon energy was just not enough warning in this room; it was definitely time for this nonsense to cease.

"You can't beat me by just continually running away," Genbu taunted.

"This is an unfortunate truth," Shuuichi said with a faint smile.

In his hand, he changed the seed to a rose, and twirled it lightly; typically when he made his whip, he didn't bother with the flower, but with Genbu melted into the floor, and the thick, stale air, it was impossible to see where he might come from.

Therefore, filling the room with rose petals and scent would be just the edge he needed. He flicked the rose lightly, and the petals scattered, multiplying as the lethal weapon came into being to flick their way around the room.

"...that's a sight better than that awful stink," Jin commented.

"Prettier too," was Kimiko's slightly strained reply. "Nice to have some color in this place."

"A weapon like that won't do you any good if you still can't tell where I'm coming from!"

Genbu's voice was irritated, or so it sounded. Shuuichi just smiled a little wider.

"Then by all means, attack from wherever you'd like."

"Bah. You just can't be bothered to be scared, is that it? I'll change that."

The wait was longer this time; Shuuichi waited patiently, then smirked, and glanced up at the ceiling. A full thirty seconds later, Genbu came leaping out to attack... and was caught in the rapid lash of the thorn whip. Kimiko cheered as Genbu was sliced into pieces, collapsing to the floor in a heap of rubble.

"H-how?" the demon asked. "How did you find me?!"

"After filling the air with the scent of roses, your own was laughably easy to track," he replied.

Genbu groaned a little, and his head fell, as though dead. He turned a little, smiling as Kimiko was the first to close with him, though she didn't hug him the way she clearly wanted to.

"Nice job," she said, offering him a relieved smile. "Here, let me see to that wound, and then we can head up the stairs."

"Man, I r'member you demonstratin with that thing," Jin said, impressed. "Didn't think it could go through stone, though."

Kimiko's hands glimmered with lavender light, but before she could touch him, there was a faint shiver in the air that made everyone stop.

"...it would appear that my fight is not yet over."

With a series of clacks and crunches, Genbu swiftly put himself back together.

"...great," Kimiko muttered, lowering her hands. "You want to hand off?"

"No, I believe I can handle this."

Perhaps he had simply made the chunks too _big_...

"Really now, slicing me apart won't do much," Genbu mocked. "I can do that to myself quite easily; it even makes for a decent attack!"

True to the demon's word, he split himself into pieces, flying straight for Shuuichi; the thorn whip lashed out again, making large chunks into pebbles... But again it seemed pointless as Genbu merely pulled himself together once more. Being split into smaller pieces only seemed to make him _more_ mobile.

Shuuichi grimaced a little as the sharp rock shards came back around for another attack, then narrowed his eyes slightly; one of those rocks had a subtly different feel... was he imagining it? He dodged another spray attack, studying the rocks more closely this time; no, there was definitely one that was different. They all seemed to cluster around it.

Well then.

This was bound to hurt, and he fully expected to get a scolding earful from Kimiko, but he was certainly fast enough to destroy the obvious weakness. He just had to hold still long enough. Give Genbu a chance to come to his doom.

He hissed a little as sharp rocks dug into his shoulders and sides, then lashed out with his whip, neatly slicing the rock in two. Genbu howled, and then the rock exploded into nothing more than dust. He sighed in quiet relief, then winced, pressing a little more against his injury. Withstanding the attack had done him no favors.

"Hold still, I've got this," Kimiko said, reaching forward, hands already glowing.

"You should not," he said, gently catching one wrist as he returned the rose to a seed. "You should... save your energy for-"

"You shut up," she snapped, cutting him off. "That was stupid and you know it."

He heard Jin snicker a little as she put her other hand on his chest; immediate coolness sank into the injury and he couldn't quite keep from a sigh of relief. The coolness spread, numbing out the other, more minor injuries as well, and after a moment she pulled back, looking both irritated and satisfied.

"Hn. Not so foolish after all," Hiei muttered.

"You're going to have to fix your clothes yourself," she said, either pretending to, or actually not hearing Hiei's comment. "But that should keep you together."

"My thanks. Shall we move on?"

"Let's," Jin said vehemently. "The sooner we're out from under alla this stone, th better!"

* * *

The stairs led up all right. Up and up; luckily for Jin's mood, they also had windows so they could look out when they had to stop for a brief rest.

"Lookin at this view, it's no wonder other demons come flockin t'the human realms," he said idly as Kimiko absently stretched out her arms. "If it's not fokllike this, it's that on-goin war b'tween Mukuro and Yomi."

"...what happened to Raizen?" Shuuichi asked, concern in his tone.

"He died, finally. About ten years back," Toya supplied. "That section of the world more or less fell apart; our band got hired out more and more, trying to wipe out generals on either side."

"Clue in the confused human?" Kimiko asked.

"For a long time, Raizen, Yomi, and Mukuro ruled vast swatches of territory, locked in a stalemate, as each was a match for the others," Shuuichi replied. "It kept people in a state of relative peace, for all its oddness."

"They all held different ideas on what to do with humans," Toya continued. "Raizen went through something in the human realm that made him stop eating humans. This caused a falling out with both Yomi and Mukuro, as Yomi said they should be allowed to eat as many humans as they pleased, moving into the human world, while Mukuro wanted to limit consumption and remain in this world."

Kimiko whistled slightly.

"We can live off anythin, same as humans do, but there's always someone who's gonna cause trouble about it," Jin sighed a little. "Don't even know why, humans are much more amusin alive than they are dead."

"For power, of course," Hiei snorted. "Eating a powerful human gives you their power, making you stronger."

"So it really does work that way?" Kimiko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It... takes a certain ability," Shuuichi said carefully. "But yes, sometimes that is how it works."

"Pleasant..."

Whatever else she was going to say was cut off as her phone started beeping. It startled all of them, and she dug it out with some surprise.

"I though phones couldn't connect between worlds," she said, looking curiously at Shuuichi.

"So did I..."

After a moment she shrugged, and hit the proper button on the screen.

"Did you do something funny to my phone, Koenma?"

"Well naturally," came the huffy response. "We needed a way to keep in contact, so don't you dare break it either! How are things going?"

"We've made it in, and we turned Genbu into rock bits. Why?"

"Because the Makaichu are _definitely_ in the city now. I suspect the appeared not long after we sent you through the portal last night, as Botan has found several clusters of the bugs themselves... not to mention infected humans."

"...well, shit."

"Shizuru passed on your message to the rest of them; so far, only Keiko and your mother seem to be unable to determine the location of the insects, so I have another agent staying close to Atsuko while Botan does her best to get rid of any bugs she sees."

"Given the way Mom still spends half her time blind drunk, I feel sorry for your agent," Kimiko said a bit sourly.

"I sent Chu."

"... _why_?"

"In any case, you need to hurry," he said briskly, not answering the question. "The number of affected humans is small now, but that won't last. You have to break that whistle. Fast."

"Okay, okay, we're going!"

As if in response, there came a roar so loud that it literally shook the castle, causing cracks to form in the walls, floors, and ceiling. Kimiko swore as she deflected a brick looking to make contact with her head, shoving her phone back into her jacket pocket.

There was a pause, as if someone was drawing in a breath, then the roar sounded again, louder and even more angry.

"...that must be Byakko," Shuuichi said after a moment. "And he does not sound happy."

"I gathered that," Kimiko retorted. "Let's go shut him up."

They ran for it as the ceiling collapsed behind them.

* * *

It wasn't the top level of the castle, not by a longshot, but it was a relatively flat, secure area. The tower they had come out of was connected to the rest of the roof by a narrow stone bridge, and on the other side of the bridge, standing on a different small tower, was Byakko.

"...you know, I keep thinking I've seen ugly and weird demons, but being here is quickly changing that," Kimiko said as she sized this demon up with a frown. "Kyukonki have _nothing_ on this guy. Well, except maybe height."

The bipedal tiger did not look amused or impressed.

"How do we want to handle this?" Shuuichi asked quietly.

"Fast," Kimiko replied immediately. "Jin, Toya?"

The two ninja grinned a little, nodding slightly.

"Looks like it'll be fun," was Jin's comment.

"Don't get too ahead of yourselves," Kimiko warned. "This is just minion number two up the ladder. I'd really rather have all of us in fighting condition to hit number one. Hear me?"

"We will be careful," Toya said with a faint smile.

Kimiko snorted a little, then sighed as Jin and Toya crossed the stone bridge.

"How _dare_ you show yourselves before me?" Byakko snarled. "Just because you shattered Genbu, that does not make you worthy. He was _weak_ , and I am not. _I_ am a true Beast."

"Sure talks a lot for a true beast," Jin commented off-handedly. "I didnae think beasts talked that much."

"You're from here just like he is," Toya replied, shaking his head a little. "You should know better."

Kimiko stifled a snicker; it was so much _fun_ working with people who were fluent in sarcasm and smart-assery.

"You _dare_ mock me?"

Byakko's roar sounded again, and the already narrow bridge grew narrower.

"...damn. He likes breaking shit with his voice, doesn't he?" Kimiko asked, looking at the crumbling stone with trepidation; it was a damn long way down. While she could survive it, it would hurt like hell, _and_ set her back.

"Send over that human chit, and I _won't_ make your deaths slow and painful," the tiger demon snarled.

"Nah. You're not strong enough fer her tae waste time on," Jin said, shrugging a little. "We'll play with ya, though~"

Toya simply held up a hand, on which glinted tiny ice crystals, and blew; shards of ice whined across the intervening space towards Byakko, who snarled as he was forced to abandon his tower perch. Ice appeared in patches on the stone, and the demon met Jin in the air, who proceeded to throw him down hard onto the ground.

"Hn. You _might_ have good instincts after all," Hiei commented.

"Toya almost killed my ass. Kind of like you, actually," Kimiko replied, arms crossed as she watched the fight with a wary eye. "And those two have worked together for longer than I've known them. Byakko might be a challenge, but he's not going to win. Not this time."

Whether or not it would be an easy fight was in question; from what she could sense the three of them were on similar levels in terms of power, and she wondered if her boys would have been weaker if not for the training sessions with Genkai.

After a moment she shrugged mentally; it was a moot point. Jin and Toya _were_ strong, and most notably, knew how to work as a team. And if they got hurt, well, that was another reason for her to be there.

It didn't make her any less tense as she worked out what they were doing; ice patches appearing rather at random on the stone as Toya purposefully missed shots at Byakko, while Jin soared overhead on currents of air, keeping the furious tiger's attention.

"Ah, I see," Shuuichi said.

Kimiko smiled a little, quietly proud.

"They got me with this trick once," she admitted, grinning a little as Byakko slipped on a patch of ice and Jin took full advantage of it, helping the tiger to fall. "Master Genkai laughed her ass off, and then said I needed more training. I think the only vindication I got from that was that they had to train too."

"His claws could prove to be a problem," Hiei pointed out.

"Maybe. But let's watch and see."

Jin had gotten a lot faster on the attack since she'd last had cause to spar with him, which made her frown a little; maybe if she found some form of wrist weight... her speed was supposed to be her best asset, given that she didn't quite have the bulk for power.

In any case, he played the buzzing, obnoxiously impossible to hit part to perfect. Mostly he was just annoying Byakko, keeping the tiger from seeing Toya setting up the ice slide; Kimiko could see that he wasn't really putting much force into his blows, the better to _be_ annoying, and shook her head a little.

"Jin, I said _fast_ ," she called, propping her hands on her hips. "Stop playing around already!"

"Oh alright, foine," he grinned and waved at her a little, then shot up into the air. "Here I come, biggie boy~"

She shook her head a little as he rocketed down, easily blowing through Byakko's guard and launching the tiger down the ice. As Byakko started to dig in with his feet, using the claws to his advantage, Toya more or less _appeared_ beside him, a sword of ice from over one hand.

"I think those claws of your need trimming," he said.

A sharp downward slice removed the points of Byakko's claws... and almost his toes as well, if Kimiko was any judge. The stunned tiger shot over the edge of the tower, and roared all the way down.

"That fast enough, Kimi?"

She reached over and lightly punched Jin as he landed, smiling.

"Well done. You guys've practiced that, huh? It came together a lot faster."

"We've had cause to," Toya nodded a little, dismissing the ice blade. "Sometimes the best way to chase someone is off a cliff."

"...I'll ask later," she said, shaking her head a little. "That's two down, two to-"

Her phone started beeping again, and she made an irritated noise, pulling it out of her pocket.

"What? We're kind of busy here..."

"Tell me you've had some good luck?" Botan pleaded. "It's getting really quite dangerous over here! Have you beaten three of them, at least?"

"No, not yet. We're getting ready to head for number three right now, though; we knocked Byakko off the tower pretty quick. What's going on?"

"It's gotten to the point where I can't chase the bugs down because I'm too _busy_ ," and there was a sound like someone being hit, "trying to knock out the people who have been affected! The police and several medical teams have so far been able to contain the worst of them, but there's no telling how much longer they can mange."

"Got it. We're moving, Botan. Be safe."

Hanging up, she stuffed the phone back into her pocket.

"Things are getting worse. We need to hurry."

As she started across the bridge, Byakko's furious roar filled the air; the stone rattled, and she broke into a sprint, Shuuichi and the rest close behind. They managed to make it to the more solid, small tower Byakko had been standing on when they arrived, and into the next part of the castle itself as the ground collapsed on their heels.

"You have _got_ to be fucking kidding me," Kimiko growled. "What do we have to do, puch his ugly face in?"

Jin and Toya both looked rather irritated as well.

"This time, I am not simply going to trim his claws," Toya promised.

"You five are being a nuisance," came Byakko's bellow from farther down the hall. "Come into my lair, then, my room of hell, if you dare."

"...we could still easily bypass this nonsense by goin up the outside," Jin said, not unreasonably.

Kimiko frowned thoughtfully, then stepped out to briefly look up. It was a long way up, and there was no way of knowing from the outside just which room that stupid whistle might be in. She sighed a little; it was still a tempting prospect.

"I think we're committed to the long route," she said finally, stepping back in. "Let's go find this ass and have him learn the reason that pissing me off is a bad idea."

"Whoa, hey now, I thought biggie was ours," Jin protested teasingly as they walked down the hall.

"He is. That's why you get to demonstrate my displeasure~"


	18. Seventeen

Seventeen

Byakko's direction led them deeper into the castle, to a door that, when opened, caused the ambient air temperature to spike noticeably. Kimiko pulled off her jacket and tied it around her waist, muttering irritably as she did so. The tunnel they entered, fortunately, wasn't to terribly long, but the end caused her to stop short so that she could stare for a bit.

"...so I guess room of hell wasn't just sarcasm," she said after a moment as the boys filtered in beside her.

"This... is going to cause problems," Toya said after a moment. "There's almost no moisture in the air for me to use."

"It'd be too hot for the ice ta stick anyways," Jin replied. "Better leave this t'me fer now."

Given that the room was practically a huge lava pit, with pillars of flooring jutting up from it at random, saying it was too hot was something of an understatement.

"If you get injured, you will be in trouble," Toya promised, looking vaguely irritated.

Jin grinned.

"No stealin lines from the leader, threatenin us for getting hurt is her job~"

Kimiko grinned a little herself, and gently slugged Jin's arm.

"He's right though. Don't take risks, Jin."

"All that sentimentality is going to give me a hairball," Byakko said, his tone disgusted. "Who's going to come down and play then?"

Jin stepped forward, easily, lightly floating on the hot air as the ground ran out. In what looked to be a concession to his ground-bound opponent, he even landed on one of the small platforms, though Kimiko noticed that he took care to make sure it was one that didn't put them in the direct line of fire.

"What's the matter, you little ice friend not joining you?" Byakko sneered.

"Ah, why bother? You're not so tough."

Kimiko sighed a little as Toya groaned; really, Jin was _just_ like Yusuke, with a mouth that moved faster than his brain. Byakko growled in clear aggravation, and energy crackled along his body.

"Let's see you dodge _this_ ," he snarled.

Jin tensed, shedding his casual posture as Byakko's roar rose to a hair-raising screech that forced Kimiko to cover her ears, then spat a green-black ball of energy right at the wind master. The ball was fast... but Jin was faster, slipping sideways in a rush of air. The energy ball hit the pillar he'd been standing on, and dumped its energy into the stone, crumbling it away into dust.

"...holy shit," Kimiko squeaked, eyes wide.

"You like that?!" Byakko bellowed with a cold laugh. "My howling shockwave turns anything it touches into dust."

"I have heard for years that there was a fighter who could destroy molecular bonds, just by vocal vibrations," Hiei said, watching intently. "To think that it would be Byakko... I don't know whether to be annoyed or impressed."

"Okay, if you've heard of it, then how do we beat it?"

"You don't," he replied, slanting her an irritated look. "That's the sort of attack you run away from, no matter your strength."

"...well shit. Maybe we all _should_ get in there."

"Don't you worry none, Kimi," Jin said, waving cheerfully at her. "He's gotta _hit_ me with it first, y'know."

"Hmph. That would be a problem, but I can always get some backup!"

Byakko lifted a hand and pulled several green hairs from his mane, infusing them with energy as he breathed on them. The hairs—four of them—landed on platforms, taking the shape of vaguely catlike creatures, with three extreme sharp claws, and fangs jutting from their mouths.

"...oh boy..."

Kimiko palmed her face, as Toya sighed.

"He never learns," she groaned. "Never, never, never..."

"In the interest of being fair, it is likely that Byakko would have called on these creatures anyways, as Jin is not necessarily required to stay on those platforms," Shuuichi pointed out, quiet concern in his voice. "They simply have to force him down to give Byakko the upper hand."

"Do you like my beasts? They are part of me, and just as hungry as I am," Byakko smirked. "Let's see how well you can handle them _and_ my scream."

As the four green beasts bounded for Jin, he took to the air, soaring out of reach, then was forced to dive under another green-black ball of energy. Kimiko watched, tense and hyper-aware of every move; if Jin died, there would be no controlling Toya, and in this room, Toya had a distinct _dis_ advantage.

Kimiko let out a breath, and pushed her negative thoughts away; Jin was a strong demon, and he could ride the currents of air as easily as he breathed. She had to have faith that he would succeed.

Jin swirled in the air, much like the tornado fist he so often employed, using it as a shield against the leaping beasts, and giving it enough energy to knock one into the lava when it leaped too close. The splash of the magma, and the remaining three forced him into some twisting acrobatics, followed by pulling up hard to avoid the two consecutive blasts of energy from Byakko.

"You can't stay in the air forever," the tiger snarled. "Sooner or later, you'll have to land."

"Now why would I be wantin t'do that?" Jin asked, puzzled. "You don't need a handicap, now, do ya?"

Kimiko palmed her face and sighed in exasperation as Byakko shot three more blasts at the now-laughing Jin.

"Why are my brothers both idiots?" she asked rhetorically.

"You know you would be making smart comments too, if it was you in there," Toya replied, briefly flashing a smile at her.

She snorted a little in irritation at the correct comment, earning herself an amused sound from Shuuichi, as well as the ice master. After a moment, a hand rested lightly on her lower back; Shuuichi, offering silent comfort or strength, she wasn't sure which. It helped though.

"Jin, you can quit messing around at _any time_ ," she called.

Jin knocked another one of the beasts into the lava, swerving to avoid the splash, then went low, rotating his arms rapidly. Rushing winds built up around his forearms as he rolled to avoid another one of Byakko's blasts, and Kimiko winced as the wind master plowed full on into the pillar holding Byakko up, unleashing the force of two tornado fists into the stone.

Jin came out the other side, shedding rock fragments as the pillar shattered, and yelped as he came face to face with one of the green beasts, not quite being able to dodge the claws in time. Even as Byakko fell, the green beast raked its razor claws across Jin's bare chest, sending him spinning through the air, though the beast itself ended up in the lava. He landed rather hard on one of the pillars, knocking his head against the stone.

Toya was already moving by the time Byakko landed on the next pillar; while he didn't have access to his ice weapons, he was no lightweight, and Byakko was off-balance. His fist slammed into the tiger's face, knocking him over the edge, and then he compounded insult and injury by using Byakko's bulk as a spring board to hep him jump the next three pillars to reach Jin's side before the remaining green beast.

Byakko hit the lava and sank swiftly beneath it; the last green beast returned to mane hair mid-flight, and burned in the hot air; Kimiko let out a sigh of relief before jumping down onto the nearest pillar and making her way over to Toya and Jin, followed easily by Hiei and Shuuichi.

"See, this is what happens when you play," she scolded, kneeling next to her dazed friend and reaching out to check the injuries. "You always get hurt."

"S'no fun 'therwise," Jin slurred a little, grinning ruefully as Toya helped him to sit up. "Though I think next time I'll try tae keep some water on me. I feel like a baked potato."

"Idiot," Toya muttered.

Kimiko shook her head a little and gently slid power through the injuries.

"Lucky you this wasn't deeper," she said, once the slices had closed. "Are you ever going to wear a proper shirt?"

"Nah. No need!"

"Ugh. I'm going to bury you in snow when we make it home, I swear."

Jin grinned, and stood.

"You know you love me," he teased.

"That doesn't mean I won't bury you in the snow," she retorted, punching him gently. "Don't be so damn reckless. I swear. You're all going to give me a collective heart attack before this mess is over, aren't you?"

"Perhaps it would be best to simply move on," Toya suggested, breaking into the argument with ease. "There are still two Saint Beasts left, and it seems time is running faster in the human world than it is here. We don't want it to run out."

* * *

The next barrier they ran across was not a beast, but the start of a maze. Fifteen doors in a round room.

"It appears we have found the maze of Maze Castle," Hiei said with a faint sneer.

"Yes, and we must choose our door with care," Shuuichi said quietly. "This place was legend, even before the barrier was put in place. Only one door leads up; the rest lead to unavoidable traps, that the Saint Beasts used against many a bounty hunter before this."

"Koenma _so_ is not paying me enough for this nonsense," Kimiko grumbled stepping to the center of the room.

"I'm sure we could change those unavoidable traps," Jin said, hands laced casually behind his head. "Spirit world bounty hunters never really were all that impressive."

"Maybe, but there's no point in wasting time," Toya replied, his gaze steady on the lone woman of the group. "Now hush and let her concentrate."

Shuuichi watched her too, feeling a subtle swirl of energy as she lifted a hand, turning in a slow circle. She slowed, then stopped, pointing towards one door.

"That one," she said firmly, starting for it.

"What makes you so sure?" Hiei demanded.

"Ten years of training with Master Genkai on energy sensing, pint-size," she retorted pushing the door open. "Come on. I don't want to lose any more time then we absolutely have to."

Hiei muttered under his breath, but followed after a moment, making Shuuichi stifle a smile. No matter what his friend might say, he _was_ coming to respect Kimiko, possibly even like her. It was no easy task, earning Hiei's friendship, and yet here he was, watching as the stubborn demon found an equally stubborn human that perhaps wasn't as bad as he had initially thought.

This time Shuuichi did smile, slight though it was. Hiei turned a little, and glared.

"Don't even _think_ it," he snapped. "I'm only here for whatever treasure I can grab after these fools are defeated."

"Of course, of course," Shuuichi replied, amused.

"Treasure wouldn't be a half-bad find in a creepy place like this," Jin said with a little grin. "Though I doubt we'd be findin it up where we're goin."

"True. Most treasure vaults are buried underground, behind layers of spells and seals. I would expect the one for the Four Saint Beasts to be no different," Shuuichi nodded. "Certainly we have seen no overt signs of their wealth yet, other than questionable design choices."

"I'd go with terrible myself," Kimiko said without turning around. "Pity I didn't think to ask Suzu to come; he'd have a field day with his multi-color techniques."

Toya and Jin both winced.

"Well, that'd certainly be a way t'bring them t'us instead of havin ta walk up all these stairs an things," Jin said after a moment. "Not sure it'd be worth listenin ta him whine, though."

"Definitely not," Toya replied firmly. "We'd never get him to stop."

Kimiko only giggled.

It took a good twenty minutes for them to reach the end of the long, trapless hallway, and the room the stepped into was small, with a pair of large doors on the opposite side. Made of cold blue metal, edged in gold, they had Western-styled dragons sitting on pillars to either side.

"How obnoxiously ostentatious," Hiei said with a grimace.

"That's an understatement if ever there was one," Kimiko muttered, untying her jacket from her waist and pulling it on again. The metal door exuded a chill that everyone in the room could feel, though she was the only one affected by it. "Man, if this place gets me sick later, I'm going to be so pissed..."

"This must be Seiryuu's room," Shuuichi said, studying the doors with a frown. "Judging by the strength of the energy, he is undoubtedly waiting for us inside."

"I've never had cause to fight another ice master," Toya said quietly.

"I wonder if he'll be more fun than Byakko?" Jin mused.

There was a loud clunk, and a creaking sound as the doors slowly swung inwards. Mist streamed out, cold and unwelcoming, but after only a moment of hesitation, Kimiko strode in. The room was large enough to be one of the practice halls of Genkai's compound, wreathed in fog.

"...this energy is incredible," Toya said quietly. "This mist is excess energy that he releases as he pleases."

Shuuichi saw Kimiko shiver briefly, and wondered if it was nerves or just the chill of the room.

"You have done well to get this far," came a low, almost sonorous voice. "But I shall no longer allow you to disgrace my master."

They drew together as the voice, like Genbu's before, seemed to come from all around them. At their backs, the large doors closed with a final sounding thump, and Kimiko glanced back, with a slight scowl on her face.

"Toya, can you tell where he is?"

The former ninja shook his head slightly.

"Well, it's hardly a fair fight if one of the fighters isn't going to show themselves," she snapped into the fog-filled room. "Come on out!"

Energy crackled sharply, coalescing quickly, then flared to brief, lightning blindness; Kimiko swore even as she covered her eyes, muttering vague curses against demons who liked showy entrances. All four demons in company snorted a little, and exchanged looks once their vision had cleared.

The fog had pulled back, confined now to swirling around the demon that had appeared in the middle of the room.

"As you requested," he said, his tone politely cold.

He was tall, taller than the previous two, and arguably more powerful as well. Toya, when Shuuichi glanced towards him, did not look wholly confident about the chances of taking him on.

"I am Seiryuu," the demon said, a cold smile crossing his face. "I am here to take your worthless lives and guarantee our freedom from this place."

"...Yeeeah, I'm gonna go with not happening," Kimiko drawled, hands tucked loosely into her pockets. "Points for intimidation and presentation, though."

Her reward was a narrow-eyed stare.

"It is not wise to mock your executioner," Seiryuu said warningly. Then his attention shifted, and he grimaced. "But first, I must deal with an uninvited guest."

"Uninvited...?"

The sound came from behind them, and they split as a group; Kimiko, Shuuich and Hiei on one side, Toya and Jin on the other, keeping both the doors and Seiryuu in view. It was a dragging, scraping sound, as though someone very large and very injured was coming their way.

Slowly, the doors were pushed open, and a badly burned, but somehow still alive Byakko stumbled into the room. Kimiko stared, unable to help herself; how in the _hells_ had he survived that plummet into the lava? Cats landing on their feet after a fall was one thing, but this was just _ridiculous_.

"S-Seiryuu... you must help me," Byakko croaked, staggering towards his fellow Saint Beast, heedless of the small group that watched him. "Please... sh-share with me some energy... even a little will be enough... I'll pay it back once I recover!"

"...How the _hell?_ " Kimiko muttered.

"That is one tough cat," Jin commented.

"At least in this room I can be of more help," Toya murmured.

The two former ninja took ready stances, plainly more than willing to go another round with the mauled tiger, but Kimiko held up a hand, watching Seiryuu's face. Something in it... it was more than arrogance, it was cold, colder than anything she'd ever seen before.

"Weakling," he snarled. "How _dare_ you dishonor us further!"

"S-Seiryuu..."

"You are no longer welcome here."

Seiryuu took a fighter's stance, one Kimiko vaguely recognized from her training with Genkai. In one hand, ice-cold energy collected even as Byakko pleaded, his steps taking him backwards. In a flash she understood.

"Toya, stop him!"

Toya, to his credit, did not hesitate; he bounded forward, ice blade at the ready, and forced Seiryuu to break from his stance as Byakko tumbled backwards, trying to avoid whatever attack that had been building. His speed forced Seiryuu back several steps, and their identical element kept him safe from the ice-cold punches that the other demon launched.

"Shuuichi, pull the idiot tiger back and tie him up."

"Your bleeding heart is going to get you killed again," Hiei snapped, as Shuuichi made a thornless vine, wrapping it around the stunned tiger, and using it to pull him into a somewhat more sheltered corner with Jin's help.

"Teammates shouldn't kill teammates," she replied flatly. " _Ever_."

"...idealist."

"Well maybe I am," she shot back, hands clenched. "It doesn't mean I'm wrong."

She saw something flicker through his stoic gaze then, there and gone too fast for her to identify. After a moment he turned towards the two ice masters.

"Call him back. I'll take this fight."

Kimiko's ire drained away into surprise as she looked at him, then nodded slowly. If she had to guess, Seiryuu's interrupted action hadn't sat well with Hiei either... she'd just had the faster reflexes for once.

"Toya!"

Toya and Seiryuu both landed a few feet apart, Toya lightly holding his ribs where a patch of ice was slowly shrinking.

"It is pointless for ice masters to fight one another," he said after a long moment. "We cannot be hurt by our own element."

"Oh? Then are you conceding?" Seiryuu smirked a little.

"Hardly," Hiei snapped, stepping up and tossing aside his coat. "He's just 'tapping out' as the humans say. You're mine."

Kimiko hid a smile; Hiei's sense of the dramatic was pretty entertaining. Seiryuu sneered a little at the diminutive demon as he shifted into stance, one hand on his blade. Toya moved back, out of the way of the ensuring fight as Hiei's energy clashed silently with Seiryuu's.

"I assure you, it's not to late to switch sides," Seiryuu said, a smirk on his face. "All this for one little human is surely too much for your pride to bear. You are like us, cold and ruthless; if you bow before my master, I am certain he will welcome you to our side."

"Yeah, uh, pretty sure he's not here because of me," Kimiko said idly, watching them with care; whatever technique he'd used to slam ice onto Toya, she wanted to at least _try_ to dodge if it came her way. "He doesn't even _like_ me."

"Is that _all_ you have to say?" Hiei asked; his tone suggested he was bored... but then, it wasn't easy to gauge his emotions when she couldn't directly see his face. "They're last words, you know."

Seiryuu's eyes narrowed.

"Fine. If that is your choice, then you shall meet your death with the _other_ weaklings."

Power flared, and Kimiko lifted an arm to shield her eyes briefly, swearing as the cold increased. The icy mist gained density, and flowed out towards Hiei... but his sword split it, sending it cascading into the walls on either side. The walls were not as formidable as the sword and gained two new holes. Kimiko let out a low whistle, and smiled a little as she realized Hiei had split the fog so that it went around her, and away from the others.

Seiryuu was less pleased.

"Try blocking _this_ ," he snarled.

The air around his hand began to glimmer in a way that Kimiko recognized as something similar to Toya's ice shards. The attack he'd prepared to use on Byakko before she'd had Toya stop him. This time, there was no need to stop the blow, and she stared a little as the floor became a solid patch of ice.

It missed Hiei completely.

"...Yes, I had forgotten about your impressive speed," Seiryuu admitted turning to face Hiei once more. "Let's try this again!"

If the ice hadn't been so dangerous, it would have honestly been kind of funny to watch Seiryuu continue to hit nothing. Hiei rebounded from walls, and even the ceiling; Kimiko, despite her training as hard pressed to follow his movements with just her eyes, and she absently put a hand on her side in memory. Somehow, she had the sense that he was toying with Seiryuu, just as he'd toyed with her.

But for what purpose?  
"Hiei, I get that you're having fun, but do you mind? We're on a time limit, and I do have some vulnerable friends," she reminded him as he landed briefly against a nearby pillar. "Just end it already."

He glanced at her, then smirked and launched himself forward, directly at Seiryuu.

"Now you die!" the ice master bellowed.

Light flashed; Kimiko tracked as many hits as she could, shaking her head a little at him showing off. Ice formed on Hiei's arm and one of his legs as he landed, and Seiryuu turned, laughing.

"You are wounded now," he taunted. "You cannot run any more, and one more b...low..."

Purple blood trickled down from his face; he choked in surprise as the pain hit. Kimiko watched grimly, and reminded herself that this demon was not the kind that could be rehabilitated. Killing him was the only option that would protect thousands of others.

But watching him die still hurt.

He exploded, much like Genbu had, and the ice quickly receded from both the walls and Hiei.

"Satisfied?" Hiei asked.

"...thanks, Hiei." She turned to go over to the corner where Byakko remained tied up. "How many times did you hit him anyways?"

"...only sixteen."

Kimiko shook her head a little.

"You have _got_ to teach me your speed skills."

"Hmph. Maybe."

It was more of a concession than she'd gotten out of him before, and it made her smile briefly. He was, somehow, likeable.

The smile faded as she beheld the bewildered Byakko. He was just... sitting there, wrapped up tightly in Shuuichi's vines, looking like he'd had the rug yanked out from under him and didn't know how to handle the fall.

"You... saved me..."

"Yup."

"We _should_ just kill him right," Hiei said, pulling his cloak back on. "He'll come after us again if we give him a chance to heal."

"He barely has the energy to stand, let alone fight," Kimiko said, glaring at the diminutive demon. "And we _don't_ kill tied up enemies, Hiei. It's not right. Shuu, how long can those vines be made to last?"

"Several days, if necessary," he responded, giving her a curious look. "Less if he fights them."

"Answer me this, human girl," Byakko said, his voice weary and worn. "Why _did_ you save me?"

"Because I don't condone teammate murder," she replied flatly. "I actually _give a damn_ about the people I have fighting with me."

Byakko snarled a little, but didn't seem interested in fighting the vines; he was too injured from his lava bath, it seemed, to be much of a threat.

"Shuuichi, make them last as long as you can so he doesn't come up behind us in case I'm wrong here."

"You could simply _untie_ him and I could kill him then," Hiei suggested.

She glared at him, but it only made him shrug, even as he looked away in feigned nonchalance. She turned that glare onto the tiger, one corner of her mind noticing that Shuuichi's hands were glowing green with energy as he fed it to the vines.

"I'm giving you a single chance, furball. You threaten me and mine again, and you're going to _wish_ you'd died here. Understand? If I were you, I'd rethink your choice of allies."

"Demon world politics generally are simplistic," Toya said after a moment, when Byakko remained silent. "Alliances are made for power, and dissolved when they are no longer necessary."

"...well, maybe that's why so many of you die," she said, and she turned her back on the tiger. "Come on boys, we still have one more asshole to deal with, and that stupid fucking whistle to break. Let's move."

* * *

Shuuichi watched her walking ahead, stiff-shouldered and plainly upset. It would be easy, so easy, to catch up to her and offer comfort, but he saw too, how both Jin and Toya were hanging back, giving her space. They didn't seem insulted by her earlier comment; Jin only looked worried for her, while Toya had a poker face similar to his own and Hiei's. Given that they had known her longer, he decided to follow their lead and let her run the mood off.

The stairs gave way to another rooftop, at the far end of which a single, oddly-shaped tower rose.

"That is far too pretentious to _not_ be where the last beast is hiding," Hiei said, his voice thick with contempt as lightning flashed and flared in the sky.

"Good. It's _my_ turn to punch something," Kimiko said, flicking her braid over her shoulder. "The sooner the better, boys."

It was strange to realize just how much they were working as a unit, at least in his eyes; Kimiko had taken to the leadership role easily enough it seemed, and it was somewhat amazing how fast they'd all shifted to listen to her. When she started running, they quickly followed suit, though Jin took to the air to move a bit faster. As Kimiko's phone bleeped again, she muttered a curse and pulled it out, accepting the call with a flick of her thumb.

"What? ... _What?!_ " She skidded to a halt, looking startled, then pulled the phone away to change the setting to speaker.

"I said your family has barricaded themselves inside the diner, but I don't know for how long that will work," came Koenma's voice. "I've had to pull Botan back as well; there's simply too many infected humans around to be safe. Just how close are you to getting that whistle?"

"We're down to the last Saint Beast, stuck in his tower," Kimiko replied, looking shaken. Discreetly, Shuuichi rested his hand on her back, offering what comfort he could. " _Everyone's_ at the diner?"

"Yes. When it became clear that they were now the direct targets, I had Chu and Suzuki gather everyone into one area for better protection. Botan is going to try and bring Genkai there as well, but I can't guarantee she'll make it before the barricades your friends have made breaks."

"Shit. Shit shit shit. Okay. Okay, we're almost at the last stupid tower, we'll go faster."

She hung up the phone and took in a breath, then took off running again across the roof. He had the sense that she was beating herself up about something, but there was nothing he could do or say in this moment that would be comforting, so he simply focused on keeping up with her.

Something in the air changed, and Kimiko slowed, lifting a hand slightly as they neared the tower base; she didn't like the way this felt, not even slightly. They spread out a bit more, each preparing for an attack... but when their attackers appeared, Kimiko just had to stare.

"...it's like someone tried to make a dandelion into a person," she said after a moment. Then she glanced at Shuuichi. "Can they do that?"

"...not necessarily," he said, flicking his wrist to call forth his whip. "These things are known as cultivated being. They are only humanoid in shape, having no free will of their own."

"Oh. So this is cannon fodder."

"Quite," Hiei smirked a little.

"It's a _lot_ of cannon fodder," Jin pointed out. "Someone don't want us t'reach them."

"Too bad for him I'm not feeling obliging," Kimiko said, narrowing her eyes.

The cultivated beings moved slowly but steadily out onto the roof, filling in the space between them and the doors that led into the tower.

"It will take too much time to destroy them individually," Toya said. "Time we don't have."

"There's always another way in," Hiei said, moving forward. "The window, for instance."

Kimiko blinked at him, then looked at the tower, beyond the cultivated beings. There, smack in the middle was an open window.

"Well, I can get t'that easy enough," Jin nodded. "Can't carry everyone at once, though."

"There's no point in staying here to deal with the cannon fodder," Hiei snorted. "We can each reach that window."

"Some of us can't get that high without assistance," Shuuichi said dryly.

Kimiko hid a smile as Hiei rolled his eyes.

"I'll take Kimi up first, then come back and getcha," Jin said with a grin. "Won't take long a'tall, now, will it?"

"Nope. Best hurry though, because I'm not waiting," Kimiko said, moving over to Jin and putting her arms around his neck. "There's an asshole up there who needs to meet my boots face first."

* * *

Stairs. Always more stairs. These ones wide and flat, making it easy to stick four and five at a time, just enough space to avoid running into the exterior wall as she sprinted up. She could hear the others behind her, their footsteps echoing as sharply one the stone as her own, and managed a grim smile; while it might come down to one on one with Suzaku, at least she could be reasonably assured that one of them would take the asshole if she got too hurt to fight.

The exit loomed up ahead, light flowing out of it. Kimiko all but dove through it, skidding to a halt as she sought out the last of the Beasts. Her attention was arrested by the sight of a large screen, about the size of a movie theater one, that held the faces of her family.

Yusuke and Kazuma, braced at the diner's front entrance against a makeshift barricade of tables and chairs that were held together by Rinku's yo-yos, that bounced every time something hit it; Chu, looking uncommonly sober and at his most powerful, standing in the doorway that separated diner and house. Suzuki braced against a barricade at the back door with Shizuru and Shishiwakamaru nearby, armed with a baseball bat and sword respectively. Botan and Genkai with Keiko, appearing to be arguing about something. What, she couldn't say; this strange thing didn't appear to have an audio function.

Something loosened inside of her, just a little; with Genkai there, she didn't have to worry quite so much. Her master was old, but she was not powerless, and she could be exceptionally ruthless as the moment called for it. Her family was as safe as they could possibly be in the moment.

"My my... you got here much faster than I expected you would."

"We like to take shortcuts," she said, sensing more than hearing as the boys came in behind her. "I don't like being late to events."

This voice was smooth, a tenor voice that held tones of pride and arrogance, as well as clear irritation; Kimiko hated it almost immediately, and turned her attention to its owner, who stepped away from the screen and into the light.

She was reminded forcefully of Shishiwakamaru, though she doubted she'd be as able to turn Suzaku as she had the imp demon. But he had the same pretty boy looks, and the arrogant tilt to his head that Shishi portrayed so often. Held loosely in one hand was something that reminded her strongly of a mace... until he brought it up to his mouth and blew lightly.

The notes were low and slow, sending chills down her spine. Kimiko's hands clenched into fists; that, then, was the Makai whistle.

"Do you like it?" he asked with a smirk. "I was thinking of making it the funeral song for your friends."

"Funny man," she growled, pulling off her jacket and tossing it into the doorway. "You have two options right now, Suzaku. You can either give me that whistle so I can break it, or you can meet my fists."

"My my, no manners at all," chortled a little green bird on Suzaku's shoulder. "But what can you expect from a human?"

"Now, now, Murugu, not all enemies can be expected to have great intelligence."

"Funny, I was just going to make the same comment about you," Kimiko retorted, striding forward. "Whistle. _Now_."

"Hmmm. No."

"Your funeral."

Kimiko did not have Hiei's speed, but she was quite fast on her own when she had to be. And right now, she _really_ wanted to vent some temper. She launched herself at Suzaku with a growl, loosing a flurry of punch that—to her _complete_ irritation—he blocked with one hand.

Though if his expression was anything to go on, he wasn't finding it an easy task. Good. Then if she pushed a little bit _harder_...

She switched abruptly from punches to a solid kick that knocked Suzaku backwards, though he managed to stay on his feet. Kimiko followed, reaching for the whistle that was held only precariously, and missed by centimeters as Suzaku managed to twist himself enough to avoid her hands... and landed a hit that sent literal lightning through her system, throwing her sideways with a yelp of pain.

She vaguely heard her name being shouted by three people as she rolled in a less then graceful manner, mentally kicking herself. She just _barely_ remembered that Suzaku was meant to be a phoenix in legends, she had expected fire. Fire was annoying, but survivable. Lightning? Lighting was just _cheating_.

She pushed herself up, waving off the help that the rest were clearly preparing to offer. Her muscles was still twitching, but the lightning had been expended, and she had her breath back after a moment.

"Do you like the lightning punch?" Suzaku asked, sounding pleased. "I admit, it wasn't quite _strong_ enough for my tastes."

"You wanna play the energy card? Fine, we can play the energy card."

Lavender light coated her fist as she took a familiar stance; an energy spray would be overkill, though it was heavily tempting. Really, all she wanted was that damned whistle, and if she could hit _that_...

She launched the energy blast downrange at Suzaku, who looked briefly startled, then lashed out with a lightning filled punch of his own. It didn't wholly protect him from the blast—Kimiko smirked as she saw tendrils scorch his clothing and strike his face as the energy fluctuated with the lightning—but he did manage to knock away a significant portion. It went through the wall and took a good chunk of the ceiling out with it, some of it crashing down onto the screen which flickered, half of it dying immediately in a shower of sparks.

"Oops," she said insincerely.

Suzaku glared at her. From the other four she heard both sighs and snickers.

"We can hardly be entertained by the scene if you _insist_ on being destructive," he snapped.

"I'll say it again; give me that whistle, and I'll go away," she replied. "No more holes in the castle, or dead allies."

"I have a better idea. Let's see how much you like the Prism of Seven!"

Suzaku shifted his stance, and Murugu burst into giggles.

"Oh, this technique? It's been so long, Suzaku!"

He clasped his hands before him, and a red glow emenated from his body; Kimiko shifted to a defensive stance, ready to block the energy, then hissed a little as Suzaku's form... _blurred_. And then suddenly there were three. Then five. Then seven.

"Well _fuck_ ," Kimiko muttered.

"This is one of the more advanced skills I've learned in my time trapped here," one of them said with a smirk.

"So can you guess-"

"-which of us is the _real_ Suzaku?"

"Bet you can't~" came the taunt. "Bet you can't, bet you can't~"

It was repeated from seven mouths, each one laughing mockingly. Kimiko pulled energy into her fist, and scowled.

"Dude, I don't give _two shits_ about which one of you is real," she said firmly. "You know why?"

Her lack of fear seemed to anger the Suzakus, and made her smile as she gestured slightly towards the four demons still standing and watching.

"I have _backup_."

"Your 'backup' has not been so helpful," the whistle-holding Suzaku sneered.

"Well no; they know better than to interfere in a one on one fight without permission. But since you just made this a seven on one, I'm thinking we can turn it into a much more even five on seven. Don't you?~"

Four of the seven Suzakus snarled at her; Kimiko just smiled.

"And I'm _not_ asking permission."

The stalemate broke with a flash of lightning; suddenly the seven Suzakus were in motion, splitting off as they were engaged in a speedy free-for-all with her four allies. Kimiko kept her attacks focused on the one with the whistle, refusing to look again at the half-damaged screen. She couldn't protect her family by staring at it, she could only protect them by destroying the damn whistle.

And if she had to kill seven different clones of the same damn demon, well fine. Better his life than theirs.

* * *

Shuuichi did his best to keep an eye on Kimiko, even as he engaged his own Suzaku; they regarded her as the main threat, so she was still embroiled in an uneven three-on-one fight. Strangely, she almost seemed to be having fun with it, though undoubtedly not as much fun as Jin seemed to be having. The wind master was engaged in an aerial battle royal, blows coming too fast for his Suzaku clone to charge up with lightning, but not fast enough that they couldn't be mostly blocked.

Hiei was a sight faster; if anyone was going to defeat a Suzaku first, it would be him. Probably for the better, considering Hiei carried a metal sword, and lightning would hurt more than a little.

Toya's Suzaku was also in the air, dodging blasts of energy that were turning pieces of the ceiling into ice, and then dodging Toya himself as he lunged in with an ice blade covering his arm.

As for his own battle, it was going well enough; while he didn't have Hiei's speed, his own was respectable enough, and his whip was keeping his Suzaku plenty distracted. He just needed a decent hit, and then the seeds of the death plant would be sown...

Across the room, Kimiko yelled in mix of pain and frustration; one of the three had landed a hit with the lightning. It grabbed the attention of literally the entire room, but that did not turn the tide to the favor the Suzakus; the four allied demons reacted faster to her distress than the Suzakus did to take advantage of it.

Hiei finished toying with his Suzaku, forgoing a flashy attack for simply stabbing him through the face; Jin and Toya used similarly brutal moves to send their opponents crashing to the floor. Shuuichi lashed out with his whip far faster than even he thought he could, landing a hit on his Suzaku's chest and burying the death plant seeds liberally into his bloodstream before he turned and sprinted over to Kimiko's side.

This hit had been a more direct one, and just laying still for a moment while the asshole laughed seemed like a good idea. His laugh was abruptly cut off by two furious former ninja who launched ice and wind at him and his two remaining clones—Shuuichi's had rapidly succumbed to the death plant, flowers blossoming silently while he had been distracted.

Hiei and Shuuichi stayed near Kimiko, the latter carefully helping her to sit up.

"Somebody get me th name of that truck," she said woozily. "I wanna reg'ster a complaint..."

"You already know his name," Hiei said with a faint snort. "And I think your friends are registering your complaint for you."

"Easy there," Shuuichi said, stifling a smile at his friend's joke. "That looked quite painful."

She grimaced a little, and shook her head a bit, attempting to clear it. Calling it _painful_ was an understatement, and she was fairly sure that the only reason she wasn't dead was because of her training with Master Genkai. She had just _barely_ managed to pump her own energy through enough to ward off being even temporarily killed.

"Gotta... get back up," she muttered, struggling to stand. "Get that damn... whistle 'way from him..."

Seeing as there was no dissuading her, Shuuichi helped Kimiko to her feet, carefully supporting her until she found her balance again. She flicked her braid over her shoulder again, and he caught a faint mutter about hairpins that had him stifled a chuckle. For a brief moment, she watched the fight, seeing Jin and Toya press the three Suzakus as hard as they could.

Slowly, lavender light bloomed around one fist as she slid into a stance from which attack or defense was highly plausible. Shuuichi took a prudent step back as the light grew brighter and brighter, standing next to Hiei who was watching with his typical intensity.

"She's still holding back," the shorter demon said after a moment.

"I expect so, but that doesn't mean she's not powerful. She'll finish this."

Jin launched his Suzaku into Toya's; both narrowly missed the one that held the whistle, who looked absolutely furious at this point.

"How _dare_ you interfere with my plans!"

"This is your _last_ warning," Kimiko said, her power strong enough to produce its own current of air now. "The whistle, or your life."

Jin and Toya were out of the way even before she'd finished speaking, landing neatly to either side. Suzaku seemed to take in them, and the sic bodies of his clones; he wasn't looking so good himself, actually, battered and bruised, even bleeding a little from the attacks he'd suffered.

"I... will _not_ be ordered around by some _girl_ who doesn't have the decency to _die!_ " he snapped.

Kimiko shrugged.

"Your loss, dude."

Suzaku shifted into a position that suggested he was setting up for something, but Kimiko was done. Her patience was exhausted, and from what she could see of the remaining screen, the danger to her family had not ebbed even a little bit. It was hard to tell with half of it wrecked, but she got the sense that her brother was punching people with probably wild abandon, and every now and then she saw a raised bat that suggested the view was switching to different people.

She thrust her fist forward, pouring more energy into the shotgun blast than she'd used before; it had to cover as wide an area as possible.

Murugu screamed as the energy vaporized her; the whistle didn't last much longer than that, and Suzaku himself yelled out in agony as he was unable to fully dodge the blast. He his the ground with a crash, digging a new divot into the floor. Kimiko wavered, and was quickly supported by Shuuichi, who kept her from collapsing to the floor in exhaustion.

"H-how... did you... _beat_ me?" Suzaku demanded weakly. "A human girl...?"

"A decade of training under the most terrifying master in the world," she responded, panting for breath. "You have _nothing_ on Master Genkai."


	19. Eighteen

Eighteen

It was easy enough to _physically_ recover from the ordeal in demon world. A few days off to sleep and eat, and she was as back to normal as she could be, if not quite a bit stronger from using so much power while still under the restraint of the spirit cuffs. She was a bit dizzy for the first two days, recovering from that lightning strike, but even that corrected itself with only a little outside influence from her master.

Her family was fine; parts of the diner needed replacing, but furniture was a good trade off for lives. Yusuke in particular was annoyed that he couldn't have gone and punched Suzaku in his stupid face too, but agreed that he had been more use punching infected humans instead.

None of those were the reasons she was out in the middle of an icy January night, wandering aimlessly when she ought to have been in bed. Her next training week was coming up soon, she _ought_ to have been resting, but she couldn't let go of the guilt that plagued her.

Three demons dead. Yes, they had been ruthless and arrogant, decidedly violent and full of pride, but it still didn't sit well with her. They had been trapped for decades, possibly longer, behind a barrier of Spirit World's creation; in their place, wouldn't she have done anything she could for her freedom?

And now the only one left in that giant castle was Byakko... She'd been too tired to go back for him, and too untrusting to think that he might change his ways as others had. It was hard, after all, to break yourself out of a pattern of thought after gods only knew how many years. He _might_ take her saving his fur as a reason to change, but he also might not, and she wasn't inclined to risk letting him loose on hapless humans.

Kimiko pulled her hat down a little more tightly on her head and muttered a few choice words under her breath. She _hated_ killing... deserved or not, it left a bad taste in her mouth, and a weight in her heart, one that was difficult to shed, even with support.

Sleep with such thoughts on her minds was pointless; either she wouldn't, or she would have nightmares, the kind she didn't want to subject anyone to. She hadn't screamed yet, but that was no guide; sometimes she did, sometimes she didn't, and she always ended up feeling bad about potentially disturbing her neighbors. It would be much worse if it was Shuuichi she woke... or hurt because she reacted before her brain caught up with her reflexes.

She replayed the fights in her head as she walked, trying to find some way that she could have changed the outcome. So deep in thought was she that she didn't even realize she had a companion until he spoke.

"Just because you're brooding doesn't mean you should be so ignorant of your surroundings."

Kimiko jumped a foot, and came down in a ready position, then sighed when she realized it was Hiei. Perched on the brick wall that surrounded the park she'd been walking next to, the diminutive demon looked as stoic as ever. The fact that he was there at all was a bit surprising, though.

"Hello Hiei," she sighed. "Aren't you supposed to be in demon world, trying to find information?"

"I got bored. News is filtering in too slowly for my tastes."

"...so you came to harass me?"

"Hmph. Kurama's fussing about you, so I thought I'd come see for myself."

She winced a little; while she hadn't been avoiding Shuuichi, she hadn't exactly been visiting either. Waving if she saw him when she went by on her way to work, texting him when she saw or heard something amusing that he might like... but not stopping in. She'd missed two of their cooking lessons as well. She just... wasn't in the right headspace for it.

"I'm fine," she said after an uncomfortable pause. "Just thinking."

"Yes, thinking so hard that you didn't even realize you were being watched. It's a good way for you to get ambushed."

Now she rolled her eyes.

"You know damn well that you're better than me at manipulating your energy so that I don't sense you," she said irritably.

"Not _me_ ," he replied, just as impatient. "You just walked past an alley where three low-level demons were waiting for you."

Kimiko blinked, and looked back. There was an alley there, to be certain, but she hadn't felt a damn thing when she'd passed it on by. Then she glanced at Hiei with a raised eyebrow, not entirely sure she believed him.

"Go look," he invited. "In deference to your annoying human code, I only knocked them out."

After a moment she backtracked to the alley in question and peered in. Then blinked.

"...you stuffed them in the dumpster?"

"Trash belongs there."

Somber mood or not, she couldn't help the half-smile, even as she shook her head.

"Thanks... I think."

"Hmph. Pay more attention. You're not always going to have someone to bail you out."

"I'd like to point out that up until I partnered with Shuuichi, I never _did_ ," she retorted, stuffing her hands back into her pockets. "I can take care of myself."

"And yet you're not."

She blinked, taken aback.

"What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" she demanded.

He didn't respond for a minute, just staring her down. Something about the look in his eyes made her decidedly uncomfortable, which also pissed her off.

"Out in this weather, in the middle of the night, not noticing things that could get you hurt?" he finally said, very pointedly.

"You just said they were low level," she replied. "Even if they _had_ attacked me, I would have dealt with it!"

It might have hurt, but she _probably_ could have, and she wasn't entirely sure where this conversation with Hiei was going. It felt... almost like he was trying to help her? In a very irritable and snarky way...

"Look, I don't really care about what you do to yourself, but Kurama, for whatever reason, _does_. I'm _not_ going to be the one who tells him his lover went and got herself killed or kidnapped because she was too lost in guilt over something _stupid_ to pay attention to the rest of the world."

Her brain tripped over entirely too many words in that small speech, and it took her several moments to even _start_ trying to come up with a response. Him saying he didn't care was nothing new, and par for course at this point; she knew better, but wasn't inclined to point it out. Being called Shuuichi's lover by someone else—and how the _hell_ had he known that anyways?!—was unnerving; the label she had mentally claimed, laid at her feet by someone else before she was ready to say such things aloud...

Hiei snorted a little.

"Humans. You get so caught up in your conscience about the most idiotic things. You eliminated a potent threat against your kin, and you're _bothered_ by it," he sneered a little. "You even were soft enough to _spare_ one of them, knowing full well that he was a criminal and a killer."

"...I've spared plenty of demons who were killers," she said, finding her voice finally.

"Yes, because you're too soft. I don't know _what_ Kurama sees in you, but he'd be better off cutting ties and leaving you to your miserable human fate."

Kimiko stayed quiet, and looked away, down the street; was Hiei right? _Would_ it be better if she faded out of Shuuichi's life? How could she? Was it even possible?

"...but he won't," Hiei said, and she couldn't tell if his disgust was genuine or feigned. "He's too damn attached. He'll come to you, if you don't go to him. I'd say do it soon; Kurama is a force to be reckoned with when he's angry."

She blinked, and there was the faintest sound of rustling leaves as Hiei leaped away into the night. Slowly, more confused than before, she resumed her walk, turning on to the path that would take her through the park now that Hiei was no longer so obviously in sight. Whether he'd genuinely left, or was simply manipulating his energy to hide, she couldn't say; he really _was_ better than her in that department.

If that had been an attempt at being helpful, it had been done _really_ badly, she finally decided, but given what Shuuichi had told her about Hiei—what little he knew, anyways—it was probable that the short demon didn't know _how_ to be helpful or comforting. Insulting her was annoying to be sure, but it didn't do much to alleviate the uncomfortable feelings.

And she'd already tried to rationalize their deaths in that way; she _knew_ that. Better three—nine?—lives than a city gone mad and her family lost. She _knew_ what she had done had been for the good of all humanity.

She knew it logically, she just hadn't been able to reconcile it in her heart; _still_ couldn't, if she was being honest. Ruthlessness in the moment, yes; after? Not so much.

She found a bench and plopped down onto it, tipping her head back to look at the stars through the clouds, and returned to the circling thoughts that wouldn't leave her alone.

* * *

"You found her, then?" Shuuichi asked as Hiei landed lightly on the railing.

"It's not like she's _that_ hard to track," was the dismissive reply. "She turned into that park over there. Completely lost in her own head."

Shuuichi sighed, leaning on the railing with a small, concerned frown. He had thought—hoped, really—that Kimiko might come to him with her concerns, her worries over what she'd been required to do. After their talk prior to Christmas, he'd thought she'd begun to understand that she was no longer alone, did not need to bottle up those emotions and keep them hidden away.

Clearly, that was not the case.

It was a little frustrating, admittedly; even knowing that she'd spent ten years keeping such things secret, dealing with them on her own didn't make it less so. Was this going to remain a stumbling block for her? How long _would_ it take before she understood?

"You know you're better off just leaving her to it," Hiei said. "This human nonsense has clearly infected your brain, Kurama. Shedding it and returning to your true self would be better."

"I will not abandon her, or this life, Hiei," he said sharply, insulted by his friend's words. "There is more for me here, in this realm, than there was in the other."

Hiei only shrugged, seemingly unfazed by the near-glare that was being turned on him. After a moment, Shuuichi blew out a breath. There was no point in being angry at Hiei for offering the advice he thought of as sensible. He was blunt because he knew of no other way to be, there was no insult intended... often.

"Besides, this is nor a form I can shed. This is a merger, not a possession, as I explained before. This form and this life are mine, whether it suits anyone else or not."

And while there were days where he longed to be the Yoko of old, they were few and far between now. His life as a thief might have been more exciting, but it had not necessarily been a _good_ life. Too many dead partners, or foolish ones, no permanent place to call his own... No, this human life was better by far, even if it had taken him a while to recognize its value.

"Then I guess you know what you have to do," Hiei said.

Shuuichi sighed. He didn't want to force a confrontation between himself and Kimiko again, but it was starting to look as though he might have to. Allowing her to shut him out was not something he wanted to continue.

"I'm going back," Hiei said abruptly, looking up at the sky. "It would appear that someone has _finally_ found me something useful."

"...don't get killed," Shuuichi said offering his friend a faint smile.

"Please. Don't be insulting."

He shook his head a little a Hiei swiftly vanished into the night, then looked towards the park. After a moment he sighed, shook his head, then turned towards the stairs; it was an unpalatable idea, therefore, he was going to get it done and over with as swiftly as possible.

* * *

Sitting and thinking had gotten her no further than walking and thinking. The same thoughts kept stewing in her brain, chewing on her conscience like a beaver chewed wood. Logic was little help when it came to emotions, and even _she_ was willing to admit that this was getting her nowhere.

She sat up with an annoyed sigh, and pushed herself to her feet again; maybe what she needed was a good, _clean_ fight against someone. It was still a few days off from her next week of training with her master... could she hold onto a facade of 'fine' until them?

Kimiko was not as locked in her thoughts now, having been reminded by Hiei that she _was_ a conspicuous target, especially walking alone in the middle of the night. So she sensed Shuuichi's energy before she saw him, and had a fierce internal debate about waiting, or hiding. She wasn't sure she _could_ face him at the moment, not feeling like she did...

But was running away really the best option? As much as she hated to admit to it, Hiei _was_ right; Shuuichi would come to her if she didn't go to him. She couldn't put it off forever either. They would inevitably see one another at the station, since he was committed to the training schedule Genkai had set, the same as she was.

Frustrated with herself, she pulled up the collar of her coat and turned to start walking again, albeit slowly; if he had come looking for her, he would catch up easily enough, and if he was just on a walk of his own, well that was fine too. It wouldn't take long to find out, one way or the other.

He caught up with her quickly, easily, and they spent a few moments simply walking in a silence that was thick with tension and unspoken words. There was space between them, and she felt it keenly; part of her wanted to move closer, to be held by him, while the other part wanted him to keep his distance, to not be touched at all.

"...is it really so hard that you have to try and bear it alone?" he finally asked. "You did nothing wrong, Kimiko. You saved lives by destroying that whistle, both demon _and_ human."

She hunched a little into her jacket; his words held a faint sting to them, a scolding touch... or maybe that was just what she was expecting to hear at this point. Did she want to be yelled at; was _that_ why she had been avoiding him? But no, he wasn't the yelling type. Master Genkai was.

Maybe it was his quiet understanding that she'd wanted to avoid. She could feel his eyes on her, and it took effort to avoid looking back; she was precariously balanced, emotionally speaking, and he didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of her confusion.

"You even saved one of the Saint Beasts," he said, his voice gentle. Soothing. "Whether Byakko appreciates it or not, we may never know, but you did. You've even made it easier on the spirit world; with fewer Saint Beasts to lock into the castle, the power needed to maintain that barrier can be decreased."

She stayed silent, looking down at the pavement that passed under her feet as she walked. She had left Byakko to an isolated, _lonely_ existence; that was something that drove _humans_ to madness. What would it do to a demon? A different species they might be, but that was still a sentient being she'd left behind because she couldn't be certain of his motivations.

"Kimiko."

She jolted to a halt as Shuuichi caught her arm, and moved to stand before her. She averted her gaze, unable to look at him, too afraid—yes, that was the right word—to see if he was disgusted by her. She heard him sighed, the exasperation clear enough, then jumped a little when he stepped forward, and put his arms around her.

"It's all right," he said softly, resting his chin on her head. "You did what you had to do, Kimiko. And what happened was not your fault; you did not force the Saint Beasts to threaten your family and your city. They chose to do that. _They_ chose."

Unexpected tears burned her eyes; even through her winter coat she could feel his warmth, his strength. Her hands trembled a little as she lifted them, somewhere between wanting to push him away, and accepting that which he was offering.

In the end, it was her need for comfort that won out; she buried her face against his jacket, wrapping her hands in the trick fabric, and clung to him as the tears slipped out. He just held her, rubbing her back gently and murmuring quiet, soothing words. It took her a few minutes to get a proper grip on herself, but even that small bit seemed to help lighten the weight.

"Come on," he said gently, wiping the tear traces from her eyes as she leaned back a little. "You don't want to get sick before we have to go train with Master Genkai. Let's have some tea, and get some rest. All right?"

Kimiko nodded meekly, easing her grip on him so that he could step back as needed. Really, he was being wonderfully patient and understanding with her, despite everything...

He stepped to the side, but kept a firm arm around her shoulders; he wasn't _quite_ pulling her along, but it was clear enough that she wasn't getting out of an escort to home. And somehow... that helped too.

* * *

Shuuichi watched her as she held the half-full cup in her hands, staring mostly at nothing. It was so _easy_ to fall into the trap of thinking that Kimiko was strong enough to not be fussed about things like necessary, even needful killing, despite everything. She had dispatched kyukonki with what seemed to be little remorse, and the fights in Maze Castle had been about protecting and preserving human lives.

But here she was, twisted up in knots over demons that had more or less _forced_ her to go to them and take them out.

With a faint sigh, he reached out and took the cup from her, setting it lightly on the table. The fact that she jumped told him how much she was lost in her own mind; the embarrassed look that followed confirmed it.

"There was nothing else you could have done," he told her patiently. "You gave Suzaku three chances to turn over the whistle, and he refused each time. You saved not just your family, but mine, and those of countless other humans in both cities. And there was no other choices with either Genbu or Seiryuu... you were genuinely quite generous when it came to Byakko as well."

"...Hiei still thinks I'm an idiot for that," she mumbled, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"To be fair, Hiei thinks everything humans do is fairly foolish," he replied, smiling a little bit.

She snorted, but didn't smile back. At a loss, he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close again; the vulnerability of her closed off position made _him_ heavily uncomfortable. She didn't fight it, but it did take her several moments to relax against him, finally turning into his hold to rest her head on his chest.

Her hair still smelled of the outside cold; a refreshing, clean sort of scent. Now if he could just get her to let go of this tangled ball of emotions...

She shifted a little, drawing his attention again as her arms gingerly crept around his waist. It was a far cry from the desperate cling of the park, but that she was seeking comfort was a good sign. Or at least, he hoped it was. In any case, it was no trouble to simply pull her onto his lap; despite her squeak of surprise, she settled quickly, and he felt her relax bit by bit.

"It just... nothing about that mess was _fair_ ," she finally said. "Not the reasons we went, not the fight itself... And even though I know, _I know_ , I had no other choice, I still feel... like I didn't do enough. Like there was some other _option_ I could have taken that... that would have been better."

He rested his chin lightly on her head, running his hand gently along her spine.

"About the only possible option I can think of would have been destroying only the whistle," he said after a moment. "And you tried very hard to get him to let go of it so that you could do precisely that. The fact that he would not _cannot_ be blamed on you. As far as Seiryuu and Genbu go, the longer we had delayed, the more danger everyone would have been in. While I cannot speak for Byakko's ability to change, those three were violent to their cores. In this, death was the only option."

"...do you think Byakko _would_ change?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know," he replied honestly, lightly kissing the top of her head. "I would like to think that your influence, your words, and your actions would make him take a long look at himself, but whether he can change... that is up to him."

She turned in his hold, half-hiding her face against his chest. At least this time he was prepared for it when she slowly, quietly, started crying.

* * *

"No, I haven't heard from Hiei since he left, why?" Kimiko asked, idly balancing on her index finger as she spoke into the phone. It would be so much easier if there was a cell tower around, but while Genkai had accepted several modern things, that was still not one of them.

"Because we haven't either, and it's been three weeks since he last checked in," Koenma replied grimly. "We're starting to get other kinds of news, and none of what we're hearing is good."

"What sort of news?"

"We think the Toguros and their backer are trying to open a permanent portal between the human world and the demon one."

"...say that again?"

"According to the whispers and rumors filtering in from the agents we have placed in demon world, there's a tunnel being built here in the human world that will let demons of all classes stroll through like they're walking down the street," Koenma replied. "Considering all the demon hunters that have been killed or disabled in the past few months, most of which are centered in this city, we're fairly sure it's nearby. We're just not certain how far along it is right now..."

Slowly, Kimiko moved her feet to the floor, straightening up slowly to avoid making herself dizzy. Just his words were making her feel off-balance enough.

"That's..."

"Bad," Koenma agreed before she could finish. "Portals themselves need a massive amount of energy to open even for a few moments, and as you know, many of them are opened out of sheer desperation. A _permanent_ portal, held open by... I don't know, psychics or technology? Either one would be bad. The latter would probably be worse, since psychics need to rest and technology... doesn't."

She shivered a little, nodding even though he couldn't see it.

"So... what do we do?"

"You get to spend more time with Genkai, effective immediately," he replied promptly. "Half the month, every month, until we know where this tunnel is. Hopefully that should make you and Shuuichi strong enough to blow it into its component parts. Speaking of, is he nearby? There was something I wanted to discuss with him as well."

"...no, he went off about an hour ago to talk with Jin and Toya about something. I can have him call you when he gets back."

"Please do. It's not imminently important, but I'd like to talk about it soon. What about Genkai?"

"She's here. I'll get her."

Kimiko set the phone down on the table, fetched her master, then went to sit in the chilly February air to allow the news to sink in.

A permanent portal between this world and the demon one? She wasn't sure how to handle that kind of idea. On the one hand, she knew a number of demons who were perfectly capable of integrating with humans, no matter their level of power. Chu had taken such a liking to her mother that he'd decided to stick around her, for example! And there was Shuuichi, of course, who was stronger than he seemed to realize, and seemed to still be improving.

Then again, considering Master Genkai's training, it was hard _not_ to improve.

But still. A permanent portal. One that would allow _anyone_ to walk through it.

No. That was not a good thing. There were plenty of good demons, but there seemed to be many more that preferred violence as their way of interacting with humans. While she didn't know much about either Yomi or Mukuro, she remembered well enough that Toya had said Yomi wanted to move into the human world, and eat as many humans as he pleased. And the demon world was big, likely bigger than the earth she currently lived on... there was no telling what could come through a portal unregulated.

She shivered a little, feeling cold and afraid. They had to find this thing, and stop it. Loose friendly demons were one thing; loose violent ones? No. Not in her city. Not if she had any say about it.

Behind her, the door slid open, and Genkai walked out to join her on the porch. She glanced at her master, and winced; it was one thing to know that Genkai was just past her eighty-fourth birthday, but to see it written so plainly on her face...

"You'll need to go back to the city for a few days," the old woman said abruptly, the old and worn look vanishing like it had never been in existence. "I'd recommend giving notice on your apartment and moving in with your boyfriend, because I'm going to want you for a solid month."

Kimiko blinked, stunned; while she had been considering moving in with Shuuichi, she still hadn't quite committed to the idea. Having it pushed on her made her feel both uneasy and vaguely resentful.

"We are rapidly approaching your final test, my girl," Genkai continued, slanting her a sharp look. "If we want to continue to have a world to live in, now is definitely the time for it." Then, to Kimiko's surprise, her expression softened. "You have a good thing going with that young demon. You hold on to that happiness, Kimiko. It will help you through the trouble ahead."

"...you're not exactly making me feel either optimistic or _less_ worried, Master," Kimiko said finally.

"I prefer you to know the truth, even if you don't like it," she retorted. "This is a potentially world-ending threat. Are you backing out on me?"

"...no, master," she said quietly. "But I'm scared."

"Good. At least your brain is still working. I admit, I was hoping for another year or so before this test came around, but," Genkai shrugged a little. "No time like the present. On your feet Kimiko. We have work to do."

* * *

"What did you wish to speak about?"

"...we have a somewhat odd proposition for you, Shuuichi," Koenma said, hands folded loosely on his desk. "As a half-demon, you are powerful in your own right. Certainly strong enough to take on normal threats, and help Kimiko with the troubles she faces."

Shuuichi's eyes narrowed slightly, taking in the former ruler of the Spirit World, who looked decided uncomfortable.

"But this isn't a normal situation," Koenma continued. "Genkai is preparing Kimiko for her test as the heir to her techniques, which will boost her powers well beyond what she could have achieved on her own. To that end, we are prepared to offer you something that will boost your own power quite significantly."

"And what is the catch?"

"Well..." Koenma sighed. "It's called the Fruit of the Past Life. There are various ways to ingest it, some less permanent than others. There... is a slight chance though, that it will regress you to that past state. Permanently."

Shuuichi leaned back in his chair, somewhere between stunned and thoughtful. He'd made his peace, or so he'd thought, with never being a full demon again. He _liked_ his human life, his human family... but to be returned to that form, to have given back to him all the strength he'd accumulated over decades...

"What are the different ingestion methods?"

"Not terribly well documented, but from what Suzuki has discovered, there are two ways of handling it that makes the process temporary, and one that he hasn't tried that could make it permanent. A smoke, which is set to reduce the age of someone who inhales it; in your case, it might very well regress you back into the form of Yoko Kurama. He has also infused the fruit into water, though that is a less immediate transformation. And of course, there is the option of simply eating it, but no one he's asked has had the gumption to try. Which isn't a bad thing; there's only a few of those trees in existence, and they bloom very rarely at that."

Koenma sighed a little.

"I think I would prefer the... less permanent methods," Shuuichi said carefully. "Life as Yoko was much less... fulfilling."

"Yes, and it would keep your human family in the dark as to your true origins," Koenma said shrewdly.

"And that."

"You've made your own arrangements?"

"Yes. Kokoda is worried that I might be getting into something dangerous, with all the time I need to help Kimiko, but..." Shuuichi shrugged a little. "What is a good solution for her is less so for myself, especially when it comes to my mother. It would hurt her greatly to realize that I am not the son she thought, and I would not put her through that."

"Understandable. We've got a handful of people set to watch and protect your family, just in case they decide to target you as well as, or instead of Kimiko. The amount you tell them is, of course, up to you."

Shuuichi sighed a little; unlike Kimiko's family, his own was very... traditional. His step-father was not terribly encouraging when it came to talk about demons _or_ demon hunters; his mother was afraid of both. Not that he could blame her after that one outing with Kimiko; if he hadn't know that _she_ was a very good demon hunter, he might well have worried more himself. As for Kokoda, he didn't really believe in either, and just thought the news was making such things up as some sort of propoganda.

"At the moment, leaving them in the dark is still my preferred option," he replied. "Kokoda's concerns aside, he is doing quite well running the store, though I am going to need a few days to set up proper stock..."

"Well, if you need help in that area, just let me know; I'm sure we can find a demon with similar powers to yours to help keep everything in your shop as fresh as you do."

"I suppose it will depend on how quickly all of this comes to a head," Shuuichi sighed a little. "Frankly, I'd rather it end sooner than later."

"At this point, we all would. Unfortunately, while I've got people scouring every corner of the city they can get into, we're not finding anything just yet. Have _you_ heard from Hiei?"

"No. I've tried to contact him using some older methods, but he hasn't responded yet. I think even Kimiko is getting worried at this point... I'm hoping that he's simply hiding out, biding his time until it's safe to move. He's not very _good_ at that, but he can do it." Shuuichi paused, then amended; "Sometimes."

Koenma snorted a little in wry amusement.

"Yes, we'd noticed that. When you go back to Genkai's, you'll need to talk to Suzuki about his methods of distilling the Fruit of the Past Life tree; he's already been told that you'll need it."

Shuuichi nodded a little, and got to his feet.

"Good luck," Koenma said as he turned to go. "With all your endeavors."

* * *

"I don't know if I should be amused or dismayed at how little I actually have," Kimiko said, surveying her mostly empty apartment. "I mean... I lived here for... six, seven years?"

"Yeah, but you've never been much of a packrat," Shizuru said, taping up one of the last boxes. "Or cook. And really, I wouldn't say a dozen boxes is 'little,' Kimi."

"I guess..."

It was actually sort of discomforting; she wanted to move at _her_ pace. She'd made the choice to be Shuuichi's lover, but sharing his over-store apartment was somewhat being forced onto her. True, they'd discussed at, and she'd agreed that it just made more sense...

But she still wasn't completely on board with it.

"You okay kiddo? You seem kind of... down. I'd think moving in with your boytoy would have you more excited."

Kimiko rolled her eyes in tolerant humor.

"Boyfriend, Shizu. Not toy..."

The idea of teasing him was fun, but toying with him? No. Something about that made the hair at the back of her neck stand on end.

"Fine, fine, boyfriend. Point still stands. He's not pushing you, is he?"

"No, no, he's... he's wonderfully patient, and puts up with a lot from me," Kimiko said, absently hugging herself. "He's way more than someone like me deserves..."

"Nonsense," Shizuru snorted a little. "You deserve someone good. I mean, Yusuke got stupidly lucky with Keiko, and you kind of got left hanging for a long time because of him. So if it's not him, what _is_ wrong?"

"I just..." Kimiko sighed a little. "This whole... mess. I don't really feel like I'm _ready_ to move in, but I need to go to Master Genkai for a solid month of training for my final test, whatever that is. And you lot conspired to put that spare room together with him, which, yes, thank you again I love all of it..."

She gestured a little helplessly.

"It just feels too fast."

Shizuru studied her for a moment, then reached out and gave her a quick, sympathetic hug.

"Well, I hope everything works out all right with you guys. We can't have _Keiko_ being the only one having kids now, can we?~"

"Shi _zu_ ru!"

* * *

Shuuichi had to work to stifle his own laughter; he was fairly sure if he did, he would get smacked.

"I swear, she has _no_ brain-to-mouth filter sometimes," Kimiko huffed, somewhere between annoyed and embarrassed. "I'd expect that sort of thing from Mom, maybe, if she's sober enough to pick on us, but Shizuru came _completely_ out of left field with that one."

He cleared his throat a little, trying without much success to hide his smile. She glanced at him sidelong, then made an annoyed sound.

"Oh just laugh," she huffed. "Idiot."

He did, and hugged her in the process; she really was a special sort of cute when she was embarrassed. She grumbled a little, but hugged him back even as she pouted over being teased.

"While I am not adverse to the idea, we currently have far too much to do, and get used to, before we can properly consider the idea."

 _Now_ she punched him, but lightly, a blush spreading all the way to the tips of her ears. He grinned a little, and kissed her forehead lightly.

"...what did you and Koenma talk about anyways?" she asked, pushing him away gently, but firmly. Obligingly he released her so that she could return to unpacking and work off some of that embarrassment. "Or is it not something you can share?"

"No, I can, I'm just... considering the idea with great care," he said, humor fading. "It presents an opportunity, but I am not quite sure if I wish to take it or not."

She glanced at him, head tipped to the side curiously as she put clothing into drawers. He debated for a minute, then sighed a little.

"As Yoko Kurama, a full demon, I was considerably more powerful than I currently am. I expect I could _be_ that powerful again without the shortcut Koenma has suggested, but the time it would take is no doubt more than we have. I am... wary of the idea however."

"How come?"

He glanced at her, then leaned lightly against the desk, which now held another two fern-type plants, as well as the original succulent.

"As Yoko Kurama, I was..." he hesitated, then sighed. "I was not quite the same person as I am now. Colder, more calculating, and not entirely pleasant... I worry that it is those traits that will be strongest if I use this shortcut."

She was watching him now, those amethyst-colored colored eyes steady, if concerned.

"Do you think you'll be a danger, or hurt someone?" she asked.

"Not as much... It is difficult to explain." Shuuichi frowned a little, absently pulling at some of the red hair over his shoulder. "I have chosen to have a human life for over a decade now. A part of me was resigned to remaining this way until I passed, however far away that may be. In many ways, being human, or at least having a human life, has been much more of a reward than the previous one."

She nodded, her gaze intent. Somehow, that was comforting; she was listening to him, giving his confusion the same attentiveness that he gave to hers.

"But also, I would be lying if I said the idea of being Yoko again isn't... exciting. I am strong now, yes, but as Yoko, I would be so much more. There are plants from the demon realms that I cannot control in this half-form, with this limited energy; they are dangerous, yes, and deadly, but they could shorten many fights."

It was tantalizing, to be honest; end a fight quickly, so that Kimiko didn't have to fight so much, so hard, and have her soul in pain. Take from her some of the burdens that she carried, simply because she hated to kill.

She moved closer to him,then reached up and lightly took his face between her hands. He had to smile softly at the concern in her face, and cupped her hands with his own.

"Whatever choice you make, Shuu, I'll back you," she said seriously. "I'll give you what help I can, and I'll wait for you if you have to leave. Personally, I think you're perfectly fine just as you are, but I understand wanting more power. The way Master Genkai talked, this training and the test at the end, is going to leave me with more than I know what to do with. It's... a scary prospect. But also exciting."

"It is," he agreed, freeing one hand to smooth some of her hair out of her face. "And one we admittedly don't have much choice in."

She grimaced a little in agreement, then squeaked in surprise when he turned his head a little and kissed one of her palms.

"Thank you," he said simply.

Kimiko blinked; he'd surprised her. Her head tipped slightly to one side curiously.

"For what?"

"Being you."

She blinked again, now openly confused. He chuckled and leaned in to give her a quick, soft kiss.


	20. Nineteen

Nineteen

For the first week back at the compound, Kimiko had no time to miss Shuuichi. He'd gone off with Suzuki, to learn more about how he might have a shot at getting his own power boost about an hour after they'd arrived, and she hadn't seen him since.

But her days were too full for her to worry about him much; up well before dawn to meditate, practice new skills, and techniques with Genkai after breakfast, and then old ones, refining things she'd known for years, after lunch. After dinner, Genkai tested her on the knowledge of the healing scrolls she'd been reading for the past few years, correcting and showing new ways for those as well. It made her head spin, but she was getting it all packed in quite firmly.

Kimiko fell into her futon every night, much too tired to think for more than a few minutes about how much nice it would be to curl up with Shuuichi. She was too tired to even _dream,_ not to mention sore from all the new ways her master had found to throw her around.

Morning meditation on day eight was different; for one thing, Genkai didn't join her. For another, something simply _felt_ off. The air held an uneasy itch to it, one that tried to poke and prod at her even as she worked to clear her mind and center herself on what she expected to happen during the day.

When she stood up to go find breakfast, Genkai slid the door open and tossed her a bag. Kimiko caught it reflexively, absently noting that her speed had definitely increased in the past few days, though she wasn't sure _how_.

"We're doing something different today," the old woman said. "Get your coat."

"Yes, Master..."

Curious and vaguely worried—Master Genkai had that look on her face that suggested heavily something had gone wrong in a way she hadn't expected—Kimiko scampered to her room to get her coat and her outdoor boots; while there hadn't been any new snow since the start of February, that didn't make what was already on the ground go away any faster.

Genkai was waiting for her at the front door, and handed her a small packet.

"Eat that," she said firmly. "There's food in the bag for later; you're going to be spending a few days there."

"Where?"

"Training with Kurama."

A chill went down Kimiko's spine that had nothing to do with the cold; up until now, Genkai had called him Shuuichi, as she had. Quickly she opened up the packet and pulled out the first of the rice balls, starting to eat as they started walking.

"So... whatever Suzuki gave him... worked?"

"To a degree. Suzuki left him alone for most of it, once he was assured it worked. He checked in last night, and thinks it might be beneficial for you to handle him for a bit."

That was even _less_ comforting, and the food felt more like a lead weight in her gut than nourishment.

She ate anyways because it would be embarrassing to faint from hunger.

Once the food was gone, Genkai picked up the pace, turning the swift walk into a tree-jumping exercise, scolding sharply if Kimiko landing wrong on a branch; any time she disturbed the snow so that it fell onto lower branches, more or less. By the time they reached the mountain face, she was hopping as lightly as she could... she simply wasn't as small or as light as Genkai.

"...we've never been here before," Kimiko said, impressed, if somewhat chilled. It had been in the negatives even before leaving the temple; up this high it was just _damn_ cold.

"No. This is where I bring the already powerful to train further. You'll likely be back here after your test, as it's a safe place to cut loose with a good deal of energy."

"So... Kurama was that powerful?"

Genkai nodded.

"I suppose Koenma never said, but before everything fell apart over there, they had a fairly basic, somewhat decent ranking system going by letters. I think the lowest apparition or demon class was something like a D-. Everyone starts that low, and then as their power increases, so does their rank. Right now, you'd be considered probably a high C to low B. We'll change that before the end of the month. Your boyfriend," and she nodded at the metal doors that led into the mountain itself, "was about the same, but his past self was considered a lower A class before he was almost killed."

Kimiko whistled, watching her breath steam in the icy air.

"Right now, he seems to be in a state of flux between demon and human. Suzuki suggested that your influence would remind him of the purpose behind regaining his original abilities. You have three days. Don't die."

"...veeeery comforting, Master," Kimiko sighed. "See you in three days."

* * *

The interior of the mountain would have been pitch black if not for the phosphorescent plants that guided her through the winding tunnels to the cavern at the far end. Or, well, it was undoubtedly _meant_ to be a cavern, but it was populated by plants, a good portion of which she'd never seen before in her life.

It was also a good deal warmer than she'd expected, and when she put the bag down, she dropped her coat as well, edging her way carefully into the cavern. More glowing plants littered the room, lining the walls in haphazard bunches, while also providing illumination to the underbrush. Not _quite_ enough to see by, but enough to avoid stumbling if she dared actually go in among the plants.

Instinct and common sense kept her from doing that; there was an air of threat, danger, to this makeshift jungle, and she was not _about_ to go in without some assurance that she wouldn't be suddenly eaten.

"Sh... Shuuichi?" she called uncertainly. "Are you in there?"

The silence took on a weight; arrogant, coldly amused. Strangely, it reminded her heavily of Hiei, and made her wonder—not for the first time—where that short bastard was hiding. Ever since that January conversation, he hadn't shown up at all, and it was worrying more than just her. She hoped, again, that he was just laying low somewhere, and wasn't hurt or in need of a rescue. While rescuing Hiei could be funny and something she'd willingly dangle over his head for _years_ , actually doing it would mean that he was in significant danger.

And she didn't like her friends in significant danger.

She edged cautiously around the room; there was a path around, probably close to three feet in width before the plants became a riotous mess of threat. She could faintly hear the sound of running water, and, with little to go on, decided to see if she could reach it by walking the long way.

This worked up until she reached the back wall of the cave, where the path abruptly ended. The plants grew flush along it, and rustled in a manner that was threatening when she inched in their direction.

She walked back about a quarter of the way, where the sound of water had been the loudest, then turned to face the plants. Her heart was in her throat, and her mouth felt dry, but after a minute she screwed up her courage. She needed to see him. She'd _missed_ him.

"K... Kurama?"

It was like she'd said a password; a path of literal blossoms opened up at her feet, and plants leaned to the side. While the threatening feeling didn't _vanish_ , it did fade somewhat, the plants marking the path seeming to go dormant once they'd finished moving. The blossom path was not very wide, so she took great care to place her feet pretty much heel to toe; the last thing she wanted was to stumble beyond the clearly marked safe area and provoke the plants that _weren't_ sleeping.

She was led to a clearing, where a thick green moss covered the ground. Strange trees and bushes ringed it, and at the far end was a small waterfall, the source of the running water she'd been hearing; it dropped into a deep pool that glowed a blue-green down at its bottom... which looked to be a rather long way down, and she didn't doubt that falling in would lead to an underground river.

He was waiting for her there, but even knowing who it was, she still stopped short once she saw him, shifting defensively. He _radiated_ cold arrogance and no small amount of threat.

He was of a height with Shuuichi, maybe an inch or two taller, and somewhat broader of shoulder. Still slim, built less like a body-builder and more like a gymnast, wearing a white, sleeveless yukata, with matching shoes and pants. Gone were the red hair and the green eyes that she had found so fascinating; in their place was silver hair and hard, yellow eyes that seemed to hold no warmth for her at all.

Her heart sank; where was her Shuuichi in this strange demon with a fox's tail and ears?

"Kimiko..."

She drew herself up a little, shifting her weight slightly. His voice was a hint deeper, huskier... and no more friendly than his expression.

"Master Genaki and Suzu thought I should come check on you," she said carefully. "Make sure you're... not overdoing things."

He made a slight, almost dismissive gesture.

"This is hardly taxing to my abilities. Having access to my full strength again is... good."

"...uh huh... I'm... glad for you?"

It was hard not to jump when he moved forward; this wasn't like fighting Rando, a pack of kyukonki, or even Suzaku. This was someone she was supposed to trust, putting out a clear aura of danger. Directed, or so it felt, _at her_.

It felt like a concession that he wasn't going so fast as to indicate he was about to attack, but she watched him warily nonetheless, and couldn't help stiffening a little when his hand touched her face.

"Afraid? Or aroused?"

It was mocking, and it made her scowl, smacking his hand off her face with enough force to make his eyebrows go up.

"What the hell, Shuuichi?" she demanded, propping her hands on her hips. "The first chance in a week to see you and you start off with an insult? Just because you're riding a power high doesn't mean you have to act like Hiei!"

He blinked, and seemed startled by her vehemence. Well, good.

"Hmm. You do have spine. I was wondering."

"If you're going to be a dick, I'm leaving until you remember where the hell you put your manners."

She turned, ready to do just that, only to see that the path she'd entered by had vanished. The threat from the plants was all to real again... but after a moment she set her chin and started towards the edge of the clearing.

She made it about three steps before Yoko Kurama quite literally caught her up, pinning her arms to her sides as he lifted her bodily off the ground. She held very still, tense and waiting to see what he might do; part of her hoped that Shuuichi was in there somewhere... and strangely, part of her _wanted_ a reason to instigate a brawl with him.

One hand was curved on her hip, the other her ribs; she could feel the heat of him through his clothes, his breath on her neck, and tried not to shiver. It would be a pure lie to say she wasn't turned on... but the warmth, the _real_ warmth, of Shuuichi was still completely missing from this demon named Kurama.

"Did I say you could go, little human?" His breath tickled her ear. "Out there, the plants will certainly try to eat you."

"I don't ask permission," she retorted, trying to move her head away from his mouth. "Put me _down_."

"Or what?~"

It was the amusement, the mockery, that made her growl; she could take it from Hiei because he'd never been any other way, but this was not Hiei. Without really thinking about it, she snapped her head back, colliding with his jaw. It startled him just enough that his grip faltered; she used that and broke from his hold, dropping to the ground and launching a sweep kick.

He dodged it, leaping smoothly back even as he shook his head a little; rising to her feet again, settling into a ready stance, she saw him grimace a little, and spared a moment to feel unhappy about hurting him.

"That," she replied.

Carefully, he rubbed his jaw; the look he cast her way was bemused, and a little pained.

"You certainly have a head like a rock."

"Yeah. I know. It's a common complaint."

The arrogant cast to his features was fading... and for a moment, she thought she saw a glimmer of green in the gold eyes.

"...I apologize for my behavior," he said finally. "There are certain... _reactions_ that have been ingrained for decades."

The air of threat was fading again, and slowly, Kimiko allowed herself to relax.

"I won't deny that you are... attractive in this form... Kurama," the name felt so wrong. Like she was reinforcing something she shouldn't be, "but you lack the warmth of Shuuichi. The..." she fumbled for a minute, studying his face and the arrogant cast it held. "The _empathy_ he has."

He stared at her for a good minute, before shaking his head a little, and looking away. His body language was different from Shuuichi's, but... she _thought_ she could read irritation in the set of his shoulders. At himself? Or her?

Then again, she had never really _seen_ anger from Shuuichi. Annoyance, and maybe a little bit of frustration at times—she knew she was a difficult person to get along with some days—but never anything stronger than that. Maybe she was reading too much into a pose, looking for the one she loved inside of the one she wasn't sure she knew.

Slowly, she turned away; not fully, she was keeping him in sight in case he wanted to try that trick again, but enough so that she could see both him and his little jungle. If worse came to worse she could _probably_ energy wave her way through it. But that would sort of defeat the purpose of her being here, wouldn't it?

To help him remember who he was.

She made a face, at herself, and at her master. She was pretty damn sure that three days wasn't going to be enough.

* * *

She was laughably easy to read. The clear frustration over the situation was almost amusing. It would have been more so if not for that tiny voice in the back of his head that insisted she be treated with respect, with care and kindness.

The fox demon snorted soundlessly, watching her from one gold eye; humans, treated with care and kindness? What a joke.

That tiny voice was getting louder, though; the potion was wearing off again. More tempting now, to eat the damned fruit and silence the human side of him. Taking it consistently over the past two days had made that voice almost silent, and he had found himself wanting that.

But what of her?

Well, for a human, she was attractive, Kurama had to admit to that. He'd never seen eyes that color in one of them before, and the way they had glowed with her anger... She was attached to his human self, by that logic, she was his.

Wasn't she?

Apologizing, as the voice insisted, hadn't seemed to earn him any ground. She still looked ready to either bolt or bite, as the situation changed. It was obnoxious, the idea of sparing his charms on her...

And yet...

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, letting the sounds of his deadly forest wash over him, and just... listened. What would she do next?

* * *

He seemed to have relaxed again; Kimiko wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad one. Despite the brave words, it had been mostly a bluff—she didn't _really_ want to go out into that forest without some guarantee that she wouldn't get eaten by plants.

But standing here just made her feel awkward. She had wanted to see _Shuuichi_ ; she didn't know how to handle Kurama.

Sighing a little, she turned to face him again.

"Is this... permanent?" she asked, gesturing to him slightly.

"It wears off."

Thanks the gods for small favors, at least.

"How long have you been... like this?"

"A while. It takes time to properly grow a jungle."

Despite her trepidation, she had to smile, just a little.

"You really are as bad as Hiei for being taciturn. Look, I think you should let the potion wear off. You need to... come down from this. And besides, if you use it all now, it could take Suzu a while to make more. Better to save it."

He gave her a narrow-eyed stare, reminding her very much of a bird eyeing a worm; it was unnerving, but she stood her ground, staring back in what she _hoped_ was a challenging manner. After a moment he affected a slight shrug and swept some of his hair back over his shoulder.

"You may have a point, Kimiko."

Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief. If the personality shift was _this_ extreme, no wonder Shuuichi had been worried about it. Hells, _she_ was worried about it, and she hadn't spent more than five minutes around Kurama.

Carefully, cautiously, she closed the distance between them until she was standing next to him, looking down into the pool of water. Curious, she knelt down, and reached out to touch the surface. She heard him snicker as she pulled her hand back rapidly; it was _cold_.

"...oh hush," she huffed. "It's not that funny."

"Did you expect it to perhaps be _warm?_ "

"Well, no... but I didn't think it was _that_ cold... I mean..." She gestured with her other hand, "it's _warm_ in here."

Even the brief touch had numbed out her hand, and she shook the water off with a grimace, blowing on half-frozen fingertips. She jumped a little when he knelt next to her, taking her hand in both of his, and it took a lot of self-control to avoid pulling away.

"You wouldn't want to fall in," he said, looking down at the pool. "It's deeper than it looks."

"...yeah, I kind of gathered as much. Master Genkai says there's all sorts of underground rivers and hot springs in the area, but I admit, this is the first time I've actually seen one." She was quiet for a minute, as her hand slowly warmed again. "...it's intimidating, but also... pretty. Did you do that?"

When she glanced at him, he seemed surprised by the question.

"No," he finally said, "that algae was here before I was. It provided a good basis for what the room required, however."

"What it required?"

Now she turned to face him fully, curious more than anything else. He freed one hand to point up, and she jumped about a foot as one of the light plants slowly wound its way down from the ceiling. It curled around his arm like it was a snake, the light blossom eventually coming to rest in his palm, which he held out to her. Fascinated, she leaned in closer, gingerly touching the petals of the glimmering flower.

"That's _amazing_..."

This seemed to please him, and she caught, for a moment, the affection that softened his eyes, and made him look more like the demon she knew. Despite herself, she relaxed as well.

"They're not scented?"

"No. Scented ones are lures for the unwary. The lights are for...those who don't see quite as well in the dark as I do."

"So you expected visitors?"

"Naturally. Suzuki was here at least twice to check on the effects of the potion. I suspect you, at the least, would have been annoyed if one of your allies was... eaten by accident."

She blinked, then stared at him; there was the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth and she snorted a little. It _had_ been a joke.

"Not as much as Suzu. He would have complained about it for _months_. Him and his obsession with being mysterious and also beautiful," and she rolled her eyes tolerantly. "To be fair, he's very good at making items that help bolster other people's abilities. I've never had cause to use them, but I've seen them in action once or twice. Shishi's pulled out the Cape of No Return on an enemy demon, and that was just creepy. After admitting he had no idea where the demon would end up, I told them they couldn't use that trick anymore; just makes my job harder."

That got a full-fledged smirk.

"...out of curiosity, _are_ there hot springs in here?"

"Yes."

"Lucky," she sighed a little, and carefully withdrew her hand from his, now that it was warm again. He didn't necessarily want to let _go_ , but after a moment of pointed staring, she was about to pull away. "I mean, a hot bath at Master Genkai's after training is nice, but hot springs are nicer. The water doesn't get cold if you sit in it too long..."

"Hm..."

After a moment, he got fluidly to his feet, sent the plant back up to the ceiling, then offered her a hand up. She hesitated, then cautiously accepted, swearing a little as her numb legs made her less than graceful. He stopped her from falling by simply putting his arm around her waist while she stomped out the pins and needles feeling.

"Entirely not fair that your leg didn't go numb," she grumbled once she was steady again.

He only smirked in reply, and while he released her waist, he did not let go of her hand; instead he turned and started walking, pulling her along. His grip was firm enough that she wasn't entirely sure she _could_ pull away... and her curiosity was piqued enough that she wasn't sure she wanted to try.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To a spring."

She blinked in surprise, then startled as the plants simply bent back, away from Kurama's walking form as he headed into what seemed to be the thickest part of this miniature jungle.

"Are _all_ these plants from the demon world?" she asked, trotting a little to keep up.

"Yes."

"...I'm guessing they all want to eat me, then."

The look he gave her over his shoulder made her shiver; plainly it wasn't just the _plants_ that wanted to eat her. They were just the ones that would kill her.

They hadn't gone very far from the clearing when Kurama stumbled, dropping to one knee, releasing her hand in the process. Concerned, but not sure what to do, she watched as his form wavered, flickered like it was some sort of illusion of light, then shifted so abruptly that she could only stare. Gingerly, not sure if the plants would still remain docile, she edged around until she was in front of him, then crouched down to check on Shuuichi.

* * *

Being in human form again, after...two? Three? days of being perpetually a demon was disorienting. The world seemed to waver in and out of focus for several long minutes as he adjusted to more limited senses. He closed his eyes tightly, hoping that by limiting himself further he could reorient faster.

Hands lightly, gently touched his face, tilting it up, and a delicate coolness spread through his body, easing some of the discomfort. A familiar smell came to him, and relaxed him further; Kimiko.

"Shuu? Are you back with me?"

Her voice was softer, almost muffled now that he no longer had the keener ears of his demon self, but he couldn't fail to hear the concern and the hope in her voice. Slowly, carefully, he opened his eyes; the world was no longer swaying, and she was there.

The desire that filled him was sudden and swift; one hand was lifted before he'd even made a conscious choice, and he had to pull himself back, _hard_ , to keep himself from doing something he would later regret. She took his hand anyways, and her concern became more overt.

"You're shaking... Hey, what's wrong?"

"I... it has been... difficult," he admitted.

She nodded a little, and her other hand gently cupped his cheek again. Healing something, he realized, and remembered with a slight wince the way he had, as Kurama, tried to hold her. No doubt he deserved the bruise that she was healing.

"Kimiko... for what happened, I..."

"Shh, hey. It's okay. You said it was intense, and I... didn't entirely believe you," she smiled ruefully. "But it's okay. You're okay. I'm here."

He had throttled the desire back enough that he didn't worry when she pulled him closer, simply allowing his head to rest on her shoulder for a moment, to accept the comfort and help she was trying to give.

"I missed you," she said quietly, her cheek against his head.

"I missed you," he replied softly, slowly wrapping an arm around her. "Though I did a poor job of saying as such."

He felt her silent giggle, and she kissed his head softly.

"Thank you can stand?"

"...yes."

She pulled back, and he _could_ stand... with a bit of help. The jungle around them rustled in a threatening manner until he turned his energy on the plants, quieting them. She watched, and he saw her eyes tracing leaves and stems, vines and flowers. She was clearly prepared to defend herself, and him, against the threat they represented.

"I believe I was trying to lead you to a hot spring," he said after a moment. "Would you still care to see it?"

Kimiko smiled at him, and nodded, easily taking the hand he offered her. He pulled her closer, needing the feel of her strength for the moment, and tucked his arm around her shoulders. After a moment, her own crept around his waist, and she leaned her head lightly against his chest.

They had been less than halfway, so it took several minutes to arrive; they spent it quietly, each savoring the relaxation they felt in the presence of the other. The spring itself was nothing ornate, and the plants around it offered no threatening rustles or scents.

"You've been training all week with Master Genkai," he said finally. "Would you like to spend a few hours relaxing with me?"

Kimiko smiled up at him, and hugged him lightly.

"Master said I had three days to help you, so I wouldn't mind that at all. No funny business though, okay? At least," she flushed a little, making him smile, "not right away. Talking first."

He nodded his head in understanding, and let his arm drop, politely turning away to let her undress in privacy.

* * *

The hot water felt _marvelous_ , and she sighed in relief as she sank into up, up to her chin, and waited for Shuuichi to join her. True, she didn't have bruises or contusions—her master was very nice about healing those injuries up when they served no purpose—but there was something about just sinking into the hot water that had everything relax, all at once.

He displaced the water as little as possible when he slipped in, and she was surprised to realize that he'd put a significant amount of distance between them.

"Shuuichi?"

He smiled at her, a little regretfully, it seemed.

"I am not wholly certain of my control at the moment. Since we do need to talk, this seemed the... politer alternative."

"Ah..."

She flushed a little, nodding in understanding. Seeing him as himself again had made her own desire flare up; she hadn't realized just how _much_ she'd missed him until this moment. But he was right, and she had been the one who'd said they needed to talk first.

"I do wish to apologize for my actions," he continued, looking away briefly. "I have some very... ingrained habits from my decades as a thief. In many cases, if I wished to have it, I simply took it."

"How much time have you spent in that form, Shuu?"

"I believe it's been three days. The potion takes about fifteen minutes to work on this form, and then lasts for about forty-five. Your concern about not having a lot is... accurate; Suzuki said as much when he last visited, though he's also working to distill more in the event that it is necessary. I _believe_ I could voluntarily switch to that form with more... time to acclimatize."

She nodded a little, drawing her knees up to her chest absently.

"Kitsune are supposed to be shapeshifters, right? It would make sense that you'd be able to trade back and forth eventually. And your... less comforting aspects would probably have been highlighted by doing this all by yourself."

He sighed a little, nodding.

"Keeping you in mind helps a little; knowing that I've chosen to do this to help with the coming troubles... but obviously, it has not tempered that side enough."

Kimiko was quiet for a moment, turning things over in her head. After a moment she shrugged lightly.

"We're putting two and some decades as a human against... what, a century? Maybe more? Of being a demon thief. It's not really _that_ surprising that there's habits and personality clashes, all things considered."

He sighed a little, nodding.

"Unfortunately, that does appear to be the case."

"Shuu?"

He glanced at her.

"Take today off," she suggested. "We can relax together, and then tomorrow, you can take the potion again, and I'll be with you, to help. Okay?"

She watched him considering the idea, though she couldn't quite read his face; the lights were just too dim for that. After what felt like a long, tense while, he nodded.

"I would say treat me kindly when I am in that other form, but..." he shrugged lightly, with a smile that was self-deprecating, "things may go better if you treated me more firmly. Including the headbutt."

She couldn't help but giggle, even as she rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"It was the nicer one of the options I was considering. Sorry..."

"No, it was much deserved, and it did good," he said, and this time his smile was warmer, more amused. "You are not a thing to be claimed, you are a person to be reckoned with, and I... may need that reminder."

That just made her feel more embarrassed, and she sunk a little more into the hot water. It got her a faint chuckle from him, at least, and after a moment she straightened a bit to rub at her nose a little.

"I believe I have said this before, Kimiko, but you are very... desirable to me," and his tone was warmly amused. "That was not changed while I was wearing my old shape, though no doubt my methods of... seduction would be."

Remembering the look she'd been given by his amber-eyed self, she nodded a little, shivering slightly. There had been heat in that gaze, desire and demand. If he had remained in that form, would he have been working to seduce her now?

"It's... still you," she said hesitantly. "But... I don't know that it would feel right."

He stretched out a hand, and she reached back, lightly clasping his. Strong hands, but kind... that was a similarity she'd noticed when Kurama had been warming her hand after she'd stuck it in the pond.

"It is still me," he said quietly. "And I will do my best to keep from offering you that discomfort. As always, as ever, I want it to be your choice."

She squeezed his hand lightly, then impulsively pushed off from her section of the spring to go to him.

"I trust you, Shuuichi," she said, settling next to him so that she could rest her head on his arm. She had initially meant to settle on his lap, but changed her mind at the last minute. That might be _too_ distracting. "I love you. We'll figure this out. Together."

He smiled down at her, and leaned in to kiss her temple.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

She smiled shyly, then stretched up a little and kissed him.

* * *

 _Smut version over on AO3_


	21. Twenty

Twenty

"Are you ready for this?"

Kimiko eyed the small bottle in Shuuichi's hand with definite trepidation. They had spent a very enjoyable day together, all things told, mostly talking, with a bit more... hands on time that had ended quite pleasantly. By the time they had agreed it felt like they should rest, Shuuichi seemed to be his usual self again.

So being confronted by the idea that she was going to be seeing the other side of him again made her decidedly uneasy.

"Not really," she admitted. "But it's not up to me. How does it work again?"

"Once I've taken it, it requires about fifteen minutes to work," he replied. "It seems to last for around forty-five, though I admit, I was not precisely keeping track. You were right to say I was intoxicated... Hopefully this time will be easier."

"Hopefully," she agreed, trying to sound more optimistic than she felt.

Shuuichi looked at her for a moment, then took a measured swallow, before capping the bottle and handing it to her. Kimiko blinked in surprise, but accepted it, giving him a confused look.

"This should help with the temptation," he said with a faint smile. "I do need this power, but I would like to not... forget myself again. If I turn back every hour, it might limit what is changed until there is a more proper integration."

"I see..." She smiled a little, feeling warm despite her nerves. That he trusted her to hold it was gratifying. "I'll try not to beat up your other self too much."

Shuuichi laughed softly, and leaned over to kiss her forehead. His hand came up, tracing the curve of her cheek, and she leaned into the gentle touch, sighing softly.

"Please, if I have earned it, do not hold back. A show of force may even be good. I am much more... acquisitive in that form, and you are not a thing to be acquired. You... are a wonderful person, who keeps surprising me with every day."

Now she blushed, half-hiding her face against his palm.

"Shuuichi..."

He kissed her forehead again, then her mouth, gently, lingeringly. It was impossible to not respond to that, and she kissed back, wanting to hold onto him for just that little bit longer.

It hurt when he pulled away, though he kept his hands on her waist for several moments more. She sighed, but stepped back finally, and watched with equal parts concern and unease as a silvery mist wrapped around him, hiding him from her sight.

And after a moment of thought, she tucked the bottle into the pocket of her coat. Not the most secure place if she wanted to keep it from him, but she didn't have many other ideas. The point, after all, was to train with him. And she only had two more days in which to do that.

* * *

He closed his eyes as he felt the power come, and let out a breath. When he took in a new one, he could taste the flavor of emotions left on the air from that kiss, the lingering desire, the tension; it mixed with the various scents of his hand-grown jungle, that rustled as the energy changed. His ears could pick up the various plants moving, taking in new bits of power, digging their roots deeper into the stone floor as his control on them briefly wavered.

When he opened his eyes again, he could see properly in the dim light, and his gaze immediately went to the young woman who watched him warily.

Mine, he thought with an inner smirk.

The little human voice immediately began to scold, though he tuned it out after a moment to pay attention to Kimiko. She was frowning gently, like something was puzzling her more than any other emotion.

"Yes?"

She startled a little, blinked at him, then shook her head slightly.

"Nothing. I think."

He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms across his chest. After a moment she sighed.

"Would you say you're a strong demon?"

"Of course. I spent many decades acquiring my skills and powers. Why?"

"Dunno. Might be something. Might be nothing. I'll have to wait until you change back to be certain."

He took a step forward and she tensed, though she didn't step back. Tempting to push her, to see what reactions he might get, but he did remember what his human side had said only moments before; no doubt she would take him at his word, and while she might regret it, it would be Kurama who carried bruises.

So he stopped. Let her get used to him being that one step closer, then took another step, watching her expression closely.

"And if I decide I do not wish to change back?"

"I'd rather you did," she replied, meeting his eyes firmly. "You're a demon, but you're a human, and I still find I prefer the human. He talks more, for one thing."

Kurama blinked. Despite his best efforts, a smile that was not cold crossed his face, and he saw her respond to that with a quick grin of her own.

"You seem to talk quite a bit yourself," he replied, very carefully loosening his posture.

"Oh, well. Yes," she looked a bit embarrassed. "I suppose I do."

 _Lack of close friends_ , that tiny voice reminded him. _Many secrets_.

The human memories overlaid the demon ones, but two and a half decades couldn't really compete with several centuries. Still, he dug through the humans ones, familiarizing himself with the woman before him as she studied him with more curiosity than anything else now.

Emotional, but fragile. Lonely, but stubborn. Kurama found himself.. softening. Just a little.

"You came for a reason beyond... this," he said after a moment, watching her face carefully.

"Mmhm. Master Genkai said I ought to train with you for a couple of days. If you're going to be like this, your timing and the like will be different, so we should practice and spar together. To avoid a cross-battle crash, theoretically."

"Theoretically."

She grinned a little; she had relaxed a little in the past few moments, though why, he couldn't say for certain.

"Well, everything's theoretical in a fight until it happens. Can you make a nicely cleared area so we don't hurt the plants? They're kind of freaky, but also pretty cool."

He considered it, then nodded after a moment; the moss would have to stay, to cushion falls... perhaps a ring of brush to indicate the edge of this sparring ring... He waved his hand slightly, and heard her swear a little in surprise as he used a minimal amount of energy to affect some changes to where they were standing specifically.

"How is this?"

She blinked and looked around, her expression somewhere between impressed and annoyed. After a moment, she blew out a breath and frowned at him.

"Two things; One, that was pretty cool, but two, warn me next time, okay?"

He smirked a little, but inclined his head in agreement; it wouldn't do to upset her too much... not when he wanted to see just how much effort it would take to seduce her properly. The tiny human voice just sighed, and he had the sense that if it was its own person, a head would be shaking in resignation.

He ignored it, and watched as she stripped off her jacket, tossing it to one side.

"All right, fox boy," and she smiled a little, settling into a stance. "Come at me."

* * *

Some day she would learn to watch her mouth when it came to starting fights. Obviously this day was not it.

Kurama was _fast_. She hadn't been ready for _how_ fast, and blocking his blows—which she realized after a moment, he was _pulling—_ took some effort. She managed it, barely, then found a split-second opening in which to retaliate.

Ending up on the ground with a fox more or less standing on her back, was annoying. Not necessarily _surprising_ , but annoying. He wasn't half as fast as her master, that much was true, but she had allowed herself to think he couldn't be as fast as he _was_.

"Okay, okay, point to you, get off," she groused, lacking the leverage to shift him herself.

She felt more than heard him laugh before he obligingly got off her back, allowing her to sit up and brush the moss off her shirt.

"...do that again, but slower?" she said once she was on her feet. "I _felt_ it, but I wanna actually see it."

He looked startled by the request, and studied her for a long moment; she could see more of Shuuichi in Kurama's mannerisms now, though no doubt that was because she was looking for the similarities, instead of trying to highlight the differences. It was still hard to believe they were the same person, despite witnessing the transformation both back and to... but there was that tip of the head that indicated confusion, that slight shrug that could be either agreement or resignation, and in his eyes she thought she saw a glint of humor.

She ended up on her stomach again, but she had _felt_ the way he'd flipped her that time. And he was nice enough to not step on her back so that she could get up immediately.

"Again!"

This time she got an eye roll, but he obliged and threw her again. It took a few more tries before she figured out just what was happening, and while it wasn't something she could necessarily counter, once she was prepared for it, she could flow with it, and turn it into something else.

His surprised look when she managed it, knocking him on his tail in the process, had her laughing.

"You," he said after a minute, getting up and lightly brushing himself off with what looked to be injured dignity, "are a very odd human."

"Yeah, I get that a lot~"

She hopped back to her feet, feeling quite pleased with herself; really, as much as she preferred healing to fighting, there _was_ a purity about it. If nothing else, she was feeling more relaxed about being around Kurama.

"Come on," she said with a grin. "Let's keep going until the potion wears off."

He sighed a little, but when she settled into stance, he was quick to attack. Trading blows with him, she noticed the slightly longer reach, the faster reaction times... and grew somewhat annoyed at the way he now _did_ seem to be holding back. She wasn't a fragile flower, and she was damn well going to be taken seriously!

She was unprepared to have her kick to his head actually connect, and didn't manage to pull the blow half as much as she'd meant in time. He went sprawling with an amazing lack of grace, making the shift from Kurama to Shuuichi as he rolled.

"Oh _shit_..."

* * *

His head ached abominably; both where he'd been kicked and just in general. He had _thought_ to potion would last those forty-five minutes he'd initially estimated, but something, it seemed had gone wrong. Had it been the sparring?

Very gentle hands touched his head, and he didn't have to see her to know that Kimiko was feeling both incredibly anxious and horribly guilty; the way her fingers skimmed over his skull, trembling, told him that.

"Shuuichi? Hey, can you hear me?"

He started to nod, then stopped as that made the ache quite a bit worse. Opening his eyes seemed like a bad idea, so he decided to just.. not.

"No, don't try to move yet. Let me..."

Coolness filtered in, soothing the pain rapidly; he couldn't really _feel_ what she was fixing, but he knew that she was fixing it.

"...okay... okay. How many fingers am I holding up?"

He cracked open his eyes, blinking a few times in the low light; the headache was all but gone now, and he could see her well enough. That anxious expression made his heart twist a little, and it was hard to make himself lay still.

"Two..."

She breathed a sigh of relief, and just gently brushed her fingers over his cheek.

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's... not your fault," and he smiled ruefully. "I should have informed you that I felt the potion wearing off, and did not."

He wasn't _about_ to tell her that it was done on purpose; not a deliberate decision by him, but by Kurama. A manipulative choice that actually made him rather _glad_ the potion had worn off already.

Kimiko did not look reassured. Carefully, he started to sit up, then had to lean back as a wave of dizziness swept over him. She was there in a second, very carefully supporting him, and he let his head come to rest on her shoulder.

"Perhaps _don't_ move for a little bit," she suggested, her voice trembling a bit.

"That does seem like a sensible option..."

She just hugged him, and he let himself relax against her, reaching up to cover her hands with his.

"It's not your fault," he repeated gently, shifting just a little so that he could press his forehead lightly against her neck.

She just silently tightened her hug, and it wasn't hard to guess that she didn't agree. Since there wasn't much else he could say, just sitting there and letting her hold him seemed to be the better option. When he felt her let out along,slow breath, he shifted a little more towards sitting up, reasonably assured that she was calmer.

She let him, though it wasn't hard to feel her reluctance. He put his arm around her, pulling her close once he'd sat up properly with no threatening dizziness, and she seemed content to be the cuddled instead of the cuddler, pressing her face against his chest and draping her arms around his waist.

"...I don't think that was forty-five minutes," she finally said.

"I believe you are correct," and he frowned a little, thoughtfully. "Perhaps my time-estimate was off..."

"Maybe, but I think it could be something else too."

"Oh?"

She was quiet for a moment, then looked up at him.

"There's a difference in power, but it's not a big one," she said after a moment. "Like... right now, you're definitely stronger than me. And Kurama was too, but it feels like it was only by a small margin. Like..."

She frowned gently, that same thoughtful look she'd had when he'd been in demon form. It was comforting to see, mostly because it meant she was thinking beyond her uneasy emotions, even if she wouldn't let them go entirely.

"I guess kind of like a pool? As Kurama you're mostly full, like this you're... maybe a quarter less in power. I think. It's noticeable, but I wouldn't call it a huge difference."

"Hm..." He pondered a moment, resting his head lightly against hers. "The potion does give me access to the past form... I suppose it's not too much to presume that the power stays, even if the form goes."

"I can ask Master Genkai when she comes to get me in a couple days," she offered, shifting a little more against him. "If anyone might know, she would."

"That certainly sounds like an idea," and he smiled at her a little, then kissed her forehead. "And for the next test, perhaps we should set a timer to see how long the potion _does_ last."

"Sparring or no sparring?"

"We can do both. It would be beneficial to know, actually, that way I can plan out how long a fight may take if I continue to rely on the potion."

She nodded a little, and her hold on him tightened briefly. He gave her another small kiss in response, and just lightly ran a hand down her back.

"If you are correct, it may well be that the potion becomes superfluous," he said after a moment. "Though I still need to master the shift between forms... The reflexes and sense of Kurama are much better than mine."

She snorted a little.

"I'll say..."

"That was an effective counter you created," he said with a small smile. "It was surprising."

That made her giggle a little, albeit ruefully.

"Yuu probably would have figured it out in half the time, but I'm not entirely hopeless. I still kind of wish Hiei would show up, though... his speed is so far beyond either one of us, it'd really help."

"I agree,"he sighed a little, "though I doubt his attitude about the transformation would."

She laughed a little, as he'd hoped she would.

"Putting Hiei in here with you in that state would probably make _more_ work for me."

"Undoubtedly," and he smiled a little himself. "I, for one, am hoping that he's merely off in search of a technique that will help. Knowing Hiei, he won't be content to let us get ahead of him in power."

Kimiko snorted a little.

"He does seem the type..."

"It is a good asset to have, an ally at your same level. Even as he does make himself... difficult."

She giggled, hugging him fondly.

" _That_ , Shuu, is the worst understatement about Hiei that's ever been made."

He only smiled, and kissed her forehead lightly.

* * *

It helped to be held, much more than just words did; it had been terrifying to realize that she could very well have caused him serious harm, and the tactile contact had gone a long way towards soothing her mind. She still wasn't sure she wanted to try sparring with Kurama again, though...

She handed him the potion bottle, and went through the apps on her phone to find a decent timer, eventually electing to set an alarm for forty-five minutes later, which she could then pause and see just how long it had _actually_ been.

She also, prudently, moved out of his lap; she trusted Shuuichi to not be handsy, but she remembered the look Kurama had given her and didn't much feel like tempting fate at the moment. She felt bad enough that it wouldn't be _hard_ for him to try and twist her about. It was better to not give him the chance to try; she still didn't fully trust that side of him.

The change swept over him again after she'd retrieved the bottle and stashed it with her phone and coat, and she felt the ambient power go up... but again, not as much as she had expected it to. That more than anything confirmed her theory for her, but she still planned to bring it up with Genkai.

Kurama looked at her steadily for a moment, then lifted a hand to lightly touch his head where she'd kicked him. Kimiko looked away, embarrassed.

"Sorry... about that. Guess I got carried away."

"Perhaps I did not take you seriously enough," he offered after a moment, startling her. "You are not a powerless human. I underestimated the strength of the blow."

"Well.. it's not like I'm exceptionally strong, either," she admitted after a moment, leaning back on her hands. "I can be, if I think about it, but mostly it's my speed and the energy manipulation skills that actually help me win fights. Or yelling. I've done that before too."

"Yelling?" he asked, one eyebrow going up.

Kimiko grinned a little, somewhere between rueful and amused at the memory.

"Yup. It was kind of an accident. Someone had popped through from the demon realm, found a bar, and proceeded to get _absolutely_ wasted. Knocked a few people out when they tried to get her to stop drinking. Didn't kill anyone, which kind of surprised me, but definitely handed out pain. I found out more or less by accident, and had to drag her out. That part... wasn't really fun, but I managed to avoid a full-scale street brawl... Yelled at her for a bit about endangering people, found her a portal and kicked her back."

She shrugged a little, shaking her head lightly.

"I think I'm more impressed that she got drunk on human alcohol... I'd have thought demon-brewed stuff would be worse."

"It is," he said with a faint smirk. "So either she was playing, or she ingested quite a bit."

Kimiko pondered this for a moment.

"...I am _almost_ certain she cleared the bar out of some really high-proof stuff, but," she shrugged lightly. "I don't really like alcohol, so don't quote me on it."

"Oh?"

"My mom."

He went quiet for a moment, in a thoughtful way, then nodded.

"I see."

And despite him not being Shuuichi at the moment, she felt that maybe he really did.

"So, since I don't feel comfortable sparring right at the moment without having a more definite time the potion will wear off, why don't you show me some of these terrifying demon world plants that you can conjure up?"

* * *

Watching her face was highly entertaining when he obligingly summoned up some of the demon world plants that littered the makeshift jungle. Equal parts fascinated, and unnerved, she nevertheless studied them, listening as he explained their properties, and how they could be utilized in fights or other situations.

He was feeling more... mellow, he decided, watching as she very carefully leaned away from the acidic mouths of the small death plant in his hand. Perhaps because she herself was calmer in his presence, deadly plants aside. Kimiko certainly seemed to be making the effort to find a halfway point between him and his mortal form...

He dismissed the plant and called up another, a small puffball that seemed harmless. It amused him to see that her wariness increased, despite the innocent look of the plant.

"What's this one?"

"A puffball," he smirked a little.

She gave him a narrow-eyed stare.

"Uh huh. And what's it for?"

"Eating," and he suited action to words, smirking wider at her exasperated look.

"You are an ass." Then, to his surprise, she grinned. "Could I have one?"

He blinked at her for a moment, then shrugged and tossed her one, which she nibbled at after a moment of curious inspection. It produced a very... _odd_ feeling in him, one that he wasn't sure he understood. Was this a sign of trust from her?

Perhaps it was a good thing, then, that he had made an ordinary puffball instead of playing with it like he'd considered.

The little human voice was getting much louder, and he tossed a contemplative look towards her jacket.

"If you mess up the timing on this because you want to stay a demon, I'll smack you," she warned. "No cheating allowed, Kurama."

He sighed a little, but stayed put; he would just have to get his hands on that bottle another time.

* * *

When he faded back into Shuuichi, Kimiko reached over and pulled out her phone to check how long it had been.

"Twenty minutes," she said, in some moderate surprise. "And that's just with sitting and manipulating energy."

"The duration does seem...shorter than anticipated," he said shaking his head a little in clear disorientation. "Perhaps my body is simply growing used to it, and a larger dose would have a longer effect."

"Or a continuous one," she pointed out, resetting the timer. "The way you were using it before I showed up, for example. Though really, if you could figure out how to shift without needing the potion, that would probably be your best angle. Control it that way, and you don't have to worry about not having it when you want it. Right?"

"Very true. Perhaps that is something to practice tomorrow..."

She smiled a little and scooted closer so that she could lean on him once more.

"Your sense of humor is weird," she said after a minute, poking him gently. "I'm used to the sneaky smart comments, but that full out trolling was new."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she snuggled against him comfortably.

"I did say aspects of my personality get... altered. The trust you displayed was a bit surprising, I admit..."

"It... was just one of those random thoughts. It's not like Kurama and I started out on a good note, so I figured I ought to try a little harder. He's _you_ , and I trust you. I should be able to trust him too...plus, I did kind of kick you in the head..."

She felt him sigh and chuckle, blushing a little.

"You also fixed it," he said gently, nuzzling her temple lightly. "Don't be too hard on yourself; sparring accidents happen."

It was Kimiko's turn to sigh, even though she had to agree. It still didn't make her feel much better, though. He kissed her cheek lightly, and seemed content to just hold her for the moment, so she stayed put, quietly enjoying the tactile contact.

"...you did well, keeping me off balance," he said finally, making her look up at him. "I didn't quite know how to handle the change of... I suppose temperament. That moment of trust, especially."

"Oh, well," Kimiko rubbed the end of her nose a little. "I was also kind of thinking that if he... you.. weren't focused to much on me, that possible seduction thing could be dropped."

He expression turned pensive, and he brought up his free hand to gently cup her cheek. She leaned into the touch reflexively, watching his face.

"I am not so sure that it can be _completely_ forgotten," he said his voice gentle. "When I desire something, I will find a way to get it. And there is no denying that I have a very strong desire for you, no matter the body I wear."

She flushed not sure if she was pleased, embarrassed, or both. He kissed her once, very lightly, pulling back before it could go anywhere. A little dazed, but still thinking, Kimiko leaned against him for a moment.

"Should I just... offer?" she finally asked.

"It would not be rejected, but I do not want you to feel as though you must," he said immediately, albeit slowly. "Nor... could I guarantee just how much affection there might be in it. As Kurama, my desires are... somewhat skewed, is perhaps the correct term. When I desire something, and claim it, I almost never choose to let it go. I will not deny that many times when I look at you in that form, the first word that comes forth is 'mine.'"

Kimiko considered that for several minutes, letting the idea sink in. She could remember from her time in school, how often other students would lay claim to their current dating partner, sometimes even after they had broken up. It had been frustrating at the time to hear things like _'my_ boyfriend' or _'my_ girlfriend', when she'd wanted one badly and hadn't been able to find anyone who would brave her brother's reputation.

"So... if I offered myself to Kurama, there's.. a significant chance that this situation could be a lot more permanent?" she finally asked.

"There is," he said soberly. "As myself, as I am now, I know that there may well come a time when we are not... as we currently are. I do not anticipate it, but I know that it could happen. I cannot control you, nor the way your heart may fall at some point in the future. As Kurama, I am... more possessive. That you might not want to stay will be a small thought, negligible, for," and he smiled ruefully, "in previous experience, no one has wanted to leave, and generally must be pushed off."

She nodded thoughtfully, and just leaned on him quietly, thinking hard.

Loving him was easy; she had been attracted to his energy the moment he'd moved into his shop, but had lacked the courage to meet _him._ If not for Rando, they might well have continued to pass one another by, and the past eight months had been far more than she'd ever thought or dreamed about. He was a true friend, and so much more. Her feelings about moving in aside,a future with him had started to feel like a given... perhaps from the moment they had become true friends.

"I think..." she said slowly, her fingers tightening in the fabric of his shirt. "I think... I'm okay with that. If you are." Then, after a moment while he was clearly processing what she'd said, she giggled. "Would that count as a proposal of some type?"

Instead of answering, he leaned down and kissed her again, lingeringly this time.

"You never fail to amaze me," he said, when they had both pulled back for a breath. "I think I would like to do it _properly_ at some point, however."

She couldn't help but laugh, and gave him a quick kiss of her own.

"Okay. I can wait."

* * *

They waited two hours this time, sitting quietly together and thinking their own thoughts. Shuuichi would admit that he was still heavily stunned; Kimiko had been understandably resistant to moving in, though she had done it in the end. That was was willing to consider their relationship quite permanent... Well, it was perhaps the last thing he'd expected, though it would be a lie to say he hadn't put some arbitrary hope for it. Even as _himself_ he didn't want to let her go... and his demon side truly was that much more possessive.

He was worried, a bit, about what said demon side would do; there was tempering happening, less that little voice in his head and more a natural progression of thoughts, but that didn't mean that he'd be easy on her if she _did_ offer.

But he could not deny the trust, and the love that came with the offer might do some good. Trust and love had never been high on his list as a demon, after all... most of his empathy had come from the mortal life he'd chosen to lead. He could only hope that he wouldn't go... overboard. Even now, he could still quite vividly remember several of his past encounters with other demons... pain to go with the pleasure.

He wasn't too sure Kimiko would like that... but he could only wait and see what she chose to do.

For the most part, he just concentrated on trying to remember the feel of what it was like to shift from Shuuichi to Kurama; she was right, that would be an valuable skill to have, especially if it allowed him to maintain more of his human nature. The potion from the Past Life fruit seemed inclined to throw him directly into the mire of being a demon, which tended to bring out the more... difficult traits. Being able to have that power, that form, with his more human side in control would be decidedly more helpful.

She stayed next to him this time, when the potion took effect; while he had removed his arm, to try and avoid potential problems, she seemed inclined to test those potential problems. Kimiko wasn't snuggled up, but she wasn't far away either.

He grasped the feeling that wound through him as the potion pulled him over into the fox demon form, trying to lock it down in his mind, though he privately felt it was going to take another few transformations with the potion before he might manage it successfully without. And then he felt the shift of his worldview, making the ability to transform suddenly feel much more meaningless... and the young woman sitting tantalizingly close much more interesting.

* * *

Kimiko did her best to not shift uneasily as she watched the transformation steal over Shuuichi again; up close it was interesting to see, even if she couldn't quite figure out just how it worked. He seemed to become briefly enclosed in mist, and when it evaporated, there was Kurama in place of Shuuichi. Admittedly, she was more curious about how it shifted his clothes more than his body... the white outfit replaced the more casual pants and button down shirt was somehow stranger than the shift of hair, eyes, and everything else that went with it.

It _was_ kind of amusing to watch his ears twitch a little prior to opening his eyes, though it became disconcerting how quickly he focused on her, that slow, subtle smirk crossing his face quickly.

"See something you like?" he asked.

"...promise not to laugh?"

"Perhaps."

That was not wholly reassuring, but damned if she wasn't going to stick by her decision.

"Can I touch your ears?"

He blinked at her for several moments, indicating that she had once more taken him by surprise. Inwardly, she smiled a little; while she had made her choice, it wasn't like she had to rush into it. There was still most of today and possibly part of tomorrow, if she could keep to a fairly steady test and break pattern like this.

"Why?"

"Because they look soft, and I'm curious," she replied promptly.

Slowly, with an expression that suggested he couldn't believe he was going along with this, he bowed his head a little so that she could more easily reach up and touch his ears. In turn she moved to kneeling, getting far closer to him than she had previously, and very carefully brushed her fingertips over his ears.

They _were_ soft. She spent several moments just fascinated with how they felt, paying only peripheral attention to the demon they were attached to. It only occurred to her after that bit that he was almost _leaning_ on her, but in a manner that was more relaxed than she had seen him. Not at all what she'd expected really, and she snuck a quick glance down to confirm her suspicions.

Much like a cat, he seemed perfectly happy to let her keep petting his ears. She half-suspected he'd have been purring if he could. It really was _the_ most relaxed she'd seen him... and there was something actually quite cute about it. After a moment of hesitant thought, she gave a mental shrug, then leaned down, hands still on his ears, and gave an experimental kiss.

Kurama had her pinned in moments, a hand clamped down on either arm. The breath had been knocked right out of her, and the only concession he made for that was that his mouth was on her throat, not her own mouth. True, it was with teeth, and she was fairly sure he _would_ try to tear her throat out if she fought back... Or at least bite down very hard. Either would kind of suck.

It was hard to fight back her own reflexes; her knees had come up, ready to piston her feet into his chest, or other sensitive spots if that became necessary. She'd risk being bit if he tried to actually hurt her... but he wasn't. He was just keeping her pinned.

A warning, maybe? She probably had startled him. The teeth were wholly unnecessary, though.

Very slowly, he pulled back, and she let her knees drop, which went a ways towards allowing her to regain her breath. He still held her down by her upper arms, but the grip wasn't so bruisingly tight any longer, and while she couldn't read his expression, he seemed to be studying her. Looking for something, perhaps.

"...why did you do that?" he finally asked.

"Because I wanted to," she replied, shrugging a little, then wincing slightly. Even with the moss as a cushion, that had _hurt_. "I didn't mean to freak you out..."

That made him look mildly offended, and he finally pulled back all the way, releasing her arms so that she could sit up, which she did cautiously.

"Do you know what you're offering?" he asked as she carefully probed the back of her head.

"Mmm. Shuuichi explained," she hissed a little; that was definitely going to raise a lump... "I decided that I don't mind the idea. I trust him, by that same logic, I _ought_ to be able to trust you. You're the same person... more or less."

It was his turn to surprise her then, moving around behind her to gently run his fingers along her skull and spine. She held very still, not entirely sure what he was doing, then actively jumped, almost falling forward at the abrupt flare of energy. One hand caught her shoulder, keeping her upright, while the other trailed back up her spine, soothing the lingering aches.

"...I didn't know you could do that," she said after a moment, tipping her head cautiously back so that she could look at him.

"I prefer plants," he responded, tipping her head forward again so his hand could brush over her skull. "This is something of a connected, tertiary skill."

"Huh. That's... kind of cool, actually."

There was a pause when he was finished, and despite her best intention, she tensed. Very slowly, arms snaked around her waist, pulling her back until she was resting against his chest; not in his lap, but not too far from it. His hands were staying in polite range of her stomach too... it gave her the sense that maybe he was actually uncertain about taking what she was offering.

She let herself relax against him, though it did take some effort on her part too. It was a bit different from being held by Shuuichi; for one thing, Kurama's grip was just that small bit tighter. But on a whole, it felt almost similar enough that she grew used to it.

Maybe...this wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

 _Smut version on AO3_


	22. Twenty-one

Twenty one

By mutual, silent agreement, neither one of them spoke much about what had happened. Shuuichi focused on figuring out his transformation, while Kimiko either talked casually or sparred with him in fox form, keeping track of how long the potion lasted depending on the physical exertions.

It _did_ get shorter, and it wasn't until almost the end of the third day, one last try while Kimiko soaked out some of her aches in the hot spring, that he finally figured it out. Letting her go off first had been caution on his part, and while he still felt a certain amount of possessiveness if he thought about her, it was much dampened down. Pleased with himself, he conjured up a small parrot plant and sent it to her with a message.

It took her only a few minutes to come back, skin steaming gently from the spring. She stopped at the sight of him, and tipped her head thoughtfully.

"I believe it worked," he said with a small smile.

After a moment, she grinned, and what little tension she had carried eased out of her.

"Yes, you're right. That's a smile Kurama doesn't give."

He bowed slightly, playfully, shifted back and forth a few times to her obvious delight, then reached out a hand, which she accepted easily. Drawing her close, he nuzzled her gently, and she loosely wrapped her arms around his waist in reply.

"The power levels haven't changed too much either," she said thoughtfully, head against his chest. "Though you're still definitely stronger than I am."

"It's your turn to catch up?" he teased gently.

She pulled back a little to stick out her tongue, then grinned ruefully.

"Knowing Master Genkai, while I might not reach your level, I'll probably have closed the gap some by the end of the month."

"I am quite certain you're underestimating yourself," Shuuichi reprimanded gently, lightly tapping her nose. "You have it in you to become _very_ strong, Kimiko."

"I suppose," she said, a little doubtfully. "...I just hope it'll be enough. You know?"

"I'm certain it will. I doubt Master Genkai would accept anything else."

Kimiko's shiver was only _slightly_ theatric, and he chuckled a little, cuddling her close.

"Knowing her, _definitely_ not. Which probably means I'm in for a lot more pain soon. Ugh. I was sort of enjoying this..."

"Well, there's still a few hours left," he said, gently stroking her cheek. "We can rest for a while yet."

She nodded, then stifled a yawn, letting her head rest against his chest once more. He stroked her hair lightly, then gently picked her up, making her squeak a little, then laugh.

"You enjoy doing that entirely too much," she said, her head now laying on his shoulder.

"Yes," he said, giving her a small kiss. "I truly do."

* * *

"So, it seems you've learned all you can from Suzuki's potion," Genkai said, studying the underground jungle with an experience eye. "Good. You can join us, then, once you've cleared all this out. I don't need demon world plants making a mess of these caverns."

Kimiko tried not to laugh at Shuuichi's expression; he looked rather put out by the idea that he was going to have to remove a week and some worth of accelerated growth.

"Let's go, Kimiko. We've got to step things up for you again too."

She waved to Shuuichi, who smiled a bit ruefully and waved back, then followed the old woman out of the cave. The clear, cold sunlight was painfully bright against the snow, and she swore quietly, lifting her hand to shield her eyes.

"I'm hoping you at least managed to get _some_ training in," her master said acerbically.

"We did."

"Good. Come on, losing you for three days means we're just going to have to work harder."

Kimiko groaned a little, then followed Genkai up into the trees, bouncing from branch to branch as they headed back in the direction of the compound.

She had to admit, it _was_ nice to be back outside; the air had been fresh enough thanks to the plants, but it was crisper out in the world again, and she drew it in deeply... then yelped and put up a hasty defense as her master abruptly rebounded from a branch and came at her.

Clearly, Genkai had not been kidding about making up for lost time...

* * *

It took three days for Shuuichi to uproot his demon plant jungle, ensuring he got all of it down to the last root that tried to worm its way deep into the stone. It did not mean an end to the work, however, just a shift in its intensity; Genkai had a training regime all ready for him to start the moment he returned to the compound, and she'd set Jin and Toya to train with him while she worked with Kimiko.

It was the sort of training regime that—like Kimiko's—took all day with a variety of exercises, and left him tired enough to sleep like a log when they fell into bed together.

But it didn't stop him from waking up when Kimiko had a nightmare.

She'd warned him that it was more likely than he might expect when they'd discussed moving in and sharing his bed more than sleeping apart. Sometimes she had terrible dreams, and he had to be careful; she would hate herself later for hurting him, but in the grips of the dream, she wouldn't hesitate.

So when she thrashed a little and twisted in his hold, he woke fully, despite the exhaustion of the day. Her hands were flickering intermittently with lavender light, and he used that to help him see her face in the dark room. Anger and fear played across her features; mindful of her warning, he was hesitant to move. True, he was holding her, but there was a non-zero chance that he could very well be hit if he did. All he could do was keep his hod loose enough for her to break if she woke.

When she did, it was with a sharp jerk, and he blinked; she was suddenly halfway across the room, her back hitting the wall with a thump that made him wince a little, and rattled things on the nearby shelves. He sat up very slowly, watching her carefully as she stood there, panting for breath, clearly ready to attack _anyone_ that came at her. She oriented on him when he moved, and lavender light surrounded her fists, casting a glow that was both beautiful and threatening.

"Kimiko," he murmured, very carefully offering her a hand. "You were dreaming, Kimiko. It's all right. You're safe."

She looked at his hand. Looked—or tried to—at his face. Slowly, the light faded as she seemed to wake up a little more... and then he watched her face crumple as she sank to her knees and started crying.

Relatively assured that he was in no danger of attack, he moved over to her, gathering her in his arms and just held her, letting her cry on his shoulder. How long, he found himself wondering, with admittedly more than a bit of anger, how long had she lived like this, with no one to offer her comfort? How long had she _denied_ herself comfort, thinking that it couldn't be understood?

He almost jumped a foot himself when the door slid open with a snap that sounded loud in the silent night air. Genkai stood here, a small lamp in hand, and a look of sympathy on her weathered face. She looked at them for a long moment, sighed a little, then looked firmly at him.

"When she's cried herself back to sleep, come have some tea with me."

It almost sounded like a request, but he understood more now, and simply nodded. The door slid closed again, and he focused on Kimiko, rubbing her back gently, murmuring quiet, soothing words, and rocking lightly until the tears ran out, and the sobbing quieted to only a few quiet whimpers. He shifted her slowly to the side that was not damp when she was quiet again, gently wiping her face as he did.

She was already halfway back to sleep at that point, though she made sounds of protest if he moved too much. So he stayed, and rocked gently until her breathing evened out, and her grip loosened enough that he could put her back to bed, tucking the blanket softly around her. She shifted a little, restlessly, plainly seeking his warmth, and he was quite tempted to lay down next to her, give her the comfort she was hunting...

But Genkai had answers, and he found he wanted those. Badly.

The old woman was sitting at a kotatsu, a teapot on a hotplate, an empty cup in the space across from her. He dropped loosely down in that spot, and poured himself the tea, knowing it would help to keep the discussion civil, and took a sip even as she did.

"Before you start accusing me of being uncaring, keep in mind that Kimiko doesn't really _try_ to share those horrors she dreams about," Genkai said quietly. "Nor does she often dream while she's here; I work very hard to ensure that. But she can't control her dreams either; lucid dreaming is one of the skills I've tried teaching that simply eludes her."

Shuuichi sat quietly, holding his cup carefully in both hands. She wasn't _quite_ scolding him, but it amounted to something similar; perhaps it was simply too late and she was too tired to give him a properly biting one.

"She probably won't even tell you," the old woman continued, lightly turning her cup in her hands. "Especially not if it's you she dreamed about. She said once that it felt too much like ill-wishing, and she'd learned by then that such things can have bitter consequences."

"She ought to talk to someone," he said after a moment.

"Pah. You know better by now, boy, or you're thicker than I thought you were," Genkai scoffed a little. "She'll bend to the idea only when _she_ wants to."

Shuuichi sighed and took a sip of the tea again, unable to deny that; Kimiko was painfully stubborn when she wanted to be, and while he could certainly get more concessions out of her than most, she would till dig in her heels if he tried to force it.

"Do you have even vague ideas of what she dreams about?" he asked finally.

"She's a warrior," was the quiet reply. "She should be the greatest healer this side of the mountain, but she's required to fight, and sometimes to take lives. What do you _expect_ she has nightmares about?"

He was quiet for several moments as Genkai poured herself another cup of tea.

"Once," and she'd startled him by speaking; a thin smile showed that she knew it, "she told me about the accident her brother had been in. That was one of the first times she had a nightmare here, and I would have let it pass if it hadn't screwed her her ability to concentrate. She remembers it in excruciating detail, up to the point where she dumped her energy into his body in a fervent, panicked bid to bring him back. You watch her carefully, Shuuichi; she will go to any lengths when it comes to the people she cherishes."

"That sounds... threatening.."

"It should," and there was no smile on the old woman's face now. "Kimiko has a depth that not even she understands, and a drive that can lead to either greatness or supreme tragedy if there isn't someone around to haul her ass back. When she passes the test I have for her, she's going to need that person more than ever before."

Shuuichi studied the old woman for a long moment, a thread of understanding wrapping around his thoughts; whatever this test was meant to do, Genkai's faith in her pupil's life was unwavering. But there was a finality about those words that made him think the old woman might well be planning something harsh and unforgivable to bring out that strength in Kimiko.

And it would be down to him and the rest of her family to help her pick up the pieces.

"I have no plans to go anywhere without her," he said simply.

"Good. Now. Get your ass back to bed. We've got a lot of work to do in the morning."

Shuuichi nodded, setting his cup on the table still mostly full, and returned to Kimiko's room to curl himself around her. It was a mark of either pure exhaustion or pure trust that she didn't even twitch when he slid in next to her; possibly both, he wasn't sure at the moment that he cared to find out.

Instead, he pushed away the disturbing thoughts, allowed himself a moment to tuck some of Kimiko's hair out of her face, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

The remaining weeks passed without incident, February rolling into March as they worked to raise their strength to previously unheard of levels. Only twice more did Kimiko have nightmares, and Shuuichi found that Genkai was very correct; she wouldn't speak of them at all, not in the moment, and not after. He tried, several times, but eventually gave it up as a wasted effort, and simply settled into being there if she ever _did_ want to talk.

The second week of March, they were sent home to rest for a week; Genkai needed to do some additional preparing for Kimiko's test, and both she and Shuuichi had hit temporary plateaus in their training. It had been agreed that a chance to just be... ordinary for a little bit, might do them some good.

Kimiko was glad of the chance to go back to the city, right up until they stepped off the train and found themselves staring at half-visible bugs. Kimiko's eyes went wide as she looked around in a sort of fascinated horror.

"What... the fuck?"

"Makai insects," Shuuichi said grimly,making her jump a little. "Not the same as what the Saint Beasts were using against you, but not too far off from that either. Let's drop things off at home, and then I think we need to go and see Koenma about this."

She shuddered a little; she'd never been afraid of bugs, but these ones gave her the _creeps_.

At least the store and apartment seemed free of the creepy things; any customers walking through the front door lost their bugs almost immediately, or so it seemed to her.

"My power is stronger than a few insects,"Shuuichi said, offering her a small smile. "No doubt there are other places in the city where they cannot land or find purchase, and people will hopefully flock to them unconsciously to get a brief respite."

"Why are they even _here?_ " she asked.

"Because the tunnel is here in this city," Hiei said, making them _both_ jump. "Idiot."

"Hiei! Where the _hell_ have you been?" she yelped, reaching out with the intent of smacking him.

The fact that he _let_ her was surprising, though he did give her a mildly irritated look.

"You didn't think _I_ was going to train with that old hag, did you?" he snorted a little as Shuuichi unlocked the door and pushed it open. "I went and found my own new ability."

"So you intend to help us, then?" Shuuichi asked as they filed inside.

"I don't really care about _this_ world," was the indifferent reply. "But there's more idiot demons than idiot humans, and less room."

"...thanks, I think," Kimiko said dryly, tossing her bags onto her bed. They would all be washed later... "Did you check in with Koenma yet?"

"...he sicced Yukina on me," Hiei grumbled, looking away. "So yes, I reported in."

She burst out laughing, and even Shuuichi was stifling a smile.

"It's good to know that you are in one piece as we thought," Shuuichi said as Kimiko's giggles wound down. "You had us all rather worried."

"Hmph. They're not interested in _me._ And there's no point in trying to keep the tunnel a secret now anyways, not with all the insects floating around."

"What does that mean?" Kimiko asked, suddenly worried.

"Go talk to Koenma; he can explain it better."

* * *

"It means that the tunnel is getting close to completion," Koenma sighed. "We have, at most, two weeks before it's stabilized enough to let more demons though."

"Have you even _found_ it?" Kimiko demanded.

"In part. You know the cave system in the area? It's down there."

"You have _got_ to be kidding me..."

The cave system, cleverly titled Demon's Door, was a well-known local legend; somewhere deep within the stone under the city was a doorway that would lead straight to demons and hell. It was a fairly popular destination for people who wanted to commit suicide, which only added to the cave system's stories. Kimiko had steered clear of it from the beginning, not wanting to deal with angry ghosts, but she hadn't ever really _believed_ the stories.

"Unfortunately, it's not just a myth," Koenma sighed. "Down in those caverns, there's a patch of thinner reality, where a tunnel could be more easily made. We're still not sure _how_ it's being built, as such things require very powerful psychics to maintain, but the insects prove this without a doubt."

"So you chose to settle here to keep an eye on that thin spot?" Shuuichi asked; Kimiko glanced at him in mild surprise. He sounded more angry than she'd heard before.

"It's been a likely choice for a long time, but usually people stay _away_ from the caves. It's not like they're uninhabited..." Koenma put his head in his hands briefly and sighed. "In any case, the bugs are here to stay for the moment. I've got a few people mapping out the cave system in hopes of locating the growing tunnel, but we have to do it carefully; both the Toguro brothers have been less covert about killing people who get in their way, and they are _definitely_ not alone."

He leaned back a little, pulling out four pictures from his drawer, and put them on the desk.

"These are the Toguros," he said, tapping two of them. "They can both alter their bodies as they want, though the elder's abilities are more... fluid in nature. The younger brother can only alter the size of his muscles, but don't think that makes him any easier. These two we don't know much about," and he tapped the other two, "save that this one is named Karasu, and the other is Bui."

Kimiko studied the pictures with a frown; the elder Toguro was wearing a smirk that gave her the absolute _creeps_ , but the younger one was simply stoic. Bui could barely be seen for all the armor he wore, while Karasu... he was clearly looking directly at whoever had snapped these pictures, and the cold,smug smile gave her the chills. She reached out for Shuuichi's hand, and twinde her fingers with his, seeking comfort from his strength.

"We were lucky to get these pictures," Koenma added. "Sayaka risked quite a bit for us."

"What about who employed them?" Shuuichi asked.

"We don't have a picture, but we know his name; Sakyo."

Kimiko blinked, but she felt Shuuichi's hand grow stiff in hers and looked over to see that he had gone very still. Koenma focused on the demon, then nodded.

"A previous demon hunter who was... much less flexible in mindset first encountered his machinations about fifteen years ago," he said quietly. "He started making his fortune as we know it by collecting low-class demons and using them as slave labor. He is unfortunately very good at it."

Kimiko sat up straight, hissing a bit in anger.

"Despite our best attempts, Skayo and the other members of what is known as the Black Black Club have remained beyond our reach; they simply hold too _much_ wealth to safely go after."

"...that is the _stupidest_ name for a criminal organization I've ever heard."

"It can afford to sound stupid when some of the world's most wealthy and depraved at the members," Koenma sighed a little. "And before you ask, no, the Toguros are _not_ being held as slaves. They're too powerful for something like that."

Kimiko uttered a variety of uncomplimentary things under her breath, and from her side she heard a faintly amused sound; Shuuichi, at least, seemed to be somewhat more relaxed.

"We're doing all we can to contain the situation," Koenma finished. "So far,the bugs haven't spread beyond this city, and we're working hard to make sure they don't. Your own training seems to have certainly produced some results..."

"Some," Shuuichi said with a slight nod.

"I'll call Genkai when we get home," Kimiko said, nibbling a hangnail on her free hand. "I did want to take a week off, but I don't think being in bug central is going to relax me any, and the sooner I get her test done, the better."

"Very much so," Koenma said with a sigh. "I'm sorry we can't give you the chance to relax, but hopefully this crisis will be finished soon."

* * *

"I see..." Genkai went silent on the other end of the line, but Kimiko could hear her drumming her fingers on the table. "You're right, you can't waste a week on relaxation. Take the noon train tomorrow, and we'll get started. But leave your boyfriend behind; this isn't something he's going to be able to help you with."

"...yes, master."

"And call that dimwit brother of yours. Or whoever you think will freak out the least. Tell them to be on their guard, and if this tunnel comes together much faster, to get up here."

"I was kind of planning on that. I don't think Koenma really even considered them at this point."

Shuuichi's arm wrapped around her shoulder as she spoke, and she leaned on him reflexively.

"He probably has, but he's more concerned with the immediate threat, and what we can do to counter it. They're not in direct danger any longer, so he's not focused on them," he said softly.

"Shuuichi is right," Genkai said shortly. "I'll send Jin and Toya down to safeguard them while you're up here, and once we know the location of the tunnel, I'm coming as well."

Kimiko sighed a little; something about that made her uneasy, but she couldn't say precisely what.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow evening, Master."

Genkai hung up with a click as Kimiko his the call end, and just sighed again as she leaned more firmly against Shuuichi.

"Everything's happening so fast," she said a little plaintively.

"Would you rather it dragged on for a few more months?" he asked, smiling a little wryly at her.

"Nooooo... But it's scary. I thought we'd have more time... you know?"

"I do," and he kissed her temple gently. "But perhaps it's better this way. We're not waiting for the shoe to drop, we're..."

"We're throwing it," she said with a small snicker. "Or something like that."

"Yes."

He smoothed her hair lightly, then kissed her forehead this time. She just loosely wrapped her arms around his waist, and was content, for the moment, to stay just like that.

* * *

"-look, Master Genkai said she was sending Jin and Toya down to chill with you guys and make sure nothing happened, so don't-"

Shuuichi shook his head a little as he sliced up the cabbage for some stir fry, listening to Kimiko argue with her brother as she paced the balcony. In his personal opinion, it might well have been better to _not_ tell them, but he had wisely kept this opinion to himself. He had as much faith in her as Genkai, and figured that worrying them was rather pointless... but then, there wasn't much he could do for his own family, so perhaps that was jealousy talking more than anything else. His mother, step-father, and step-brother were all as normal as they came, even with the emanations from the tunnel awakening gifts in the general populace, and wouldn't necessarily understand his urging that they take a long vacation, far away from the troubles that he was fairly sure were going to come spilling out.

"-no, it's something meant for me, so-"

And this test of Genkai's... what would it be? Would it return her as she was, or would she be irrevocably changed? Increasing her power, certainly, that was one thing, but would that power affect her personality, her mind?

"-doesn't _matter_ what you think, I'm doing it! If it saves-"

That was the trick, though, wasn't it? It wasn't that she regarded her life as worthless, but if she was pushed to it, she would spend her life to protect all others. And he couldn't stand in the way of that, not with an easy conscience.

He just had to hold onto the hope that whatever Genkai's test was, it would give her the raw power to blast this tunnel into oblivion, and those who created it as well.

Kimiko came in a few minutes later, shaking her head as she dropped her phone on the coffee table.

"I swear, he's such an ass," she grumbled, coming over to the kitchen so she could help. "Just because he's five minutes older doesn't make him the boss."

Shuuichi chuckled a little.

"Not too pleased with the news, I take it."

"Nope. He got even _more_ annoyed when I told him it'd be better from him to stay with Keiko, not come help me. And more annoying."

But he could tell that she had been touched a little by whatever it was Yusuke had said. He leaned over and kissed her temple lightly.

"At least everyone else seemed to take it moderately calm?"

"I told Shizu, and she was pretty calm, yeah. Kaz is probably going to call me and get pissy, or call Yuu and get pissy, and then they'll _both_ try to harass me about it," she smiled ruefully, shaking her head a little. "I kind of wish I'd made Yusuke train with me more, now... and made Kaz actually go to Master Genkai for training in his spirit awareness. I mean, no offense, but... I would feel better if I had them here too."

He briefly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed lightly.

"I understand. In tough times, it's natural to want tough people at your side."

She sighed a little, and leaned on him briefly.

"...hey, where'd Hiei go, anyways?"

"Probably to wherever he's been sleeping while here in the human world. I wouldn't worry too much; he'll be found when he wants to, you know."

"Shouldn't that be _if_ he wants to?"

He chuckled a little.

"Yes, that too."

* * *

He looked down at the dozing young woman on his shoulder and had to smile a little; the movie had been her idea, but clearly she was more worn out than she'd wanted to admit. Shuuichi nudged her gently, but when the only response was a mutter that sounded vaguely complaining, he shook his head a little in resigned amusement, and carefully picked her up to put her to bed.

He was not _as_ tired, so once he'd tucked her in,he slipped out quietly to lean on the railing of his balcony and stare out over the city.

The bugs were prolific, even in the cold night, and they bounced off the barrier around the building with unpleasant crunching noises. The air held a taste to it, not too strong yet, of the cold winds of the demon world.

Could this be Yomi's plan? It had been a very long time since he'd seen the blinded demon for himself, but with the minimal information he'd gotten from both Toya and Jin, it seemed almost... ham-handed. Yomi might have wanted to invade the human world and eat as he pleased, but this had the feel of a long-term plan, something he had once known to be beyond his former lieutenant.

He could remember more easily now, stealing those powerful artifacts to try and set up against Raizen or Mukuro. To challenge the current status quo and make a name for himself.

Shuuichi shook his head a little and sighed, watching his breath steam in the icy air. It didn't really matter if it was or wasn't Yomi's plan at this point; they were going to stop it. They had to. If a demon like Mukuro made it through, or even one of Raizen's former allies, the world would turn more to chaos than it already was.

"You brood worse than anyone I've ever met," Hiei said, landing lightly on the railing. "If you're _that_ worried about things, you should just go to the demon world and fix them yourself."

"Concern, Hiei?"

"You're projecting your thoughts into the open air loud enough for even someone who's _not_ a telepath to read," was the derisive reply. "If you're worrying about the war there, don't. Neither side seems remotely interested in human world right now, and this plan is much to crude for Yomi the Strategist. This has human fingerprints all over it."

"...I suppose that is some minor comfort," Shuuichi sighed.

"Hmph. I still say you should have killed him instead of just blinding him."

"You can't learn when you're dead, Hiei," he said with a faintly tolerant smile. "And clearly,Yomi _has_ learned."

"Possibly too much, considering who he's at war with."

"Or you could make the argument for not enough, with the same end point."

Hiei rolled his eyes a little.

" _Regardless_ , I doubt he's even remotely interested in you, or this human life you've decided to live. Moron."

Shuuichi had to smile; Hiei was, in his clumsy way, trying to be reassuring.

"I still don't see why you prefer this noise and filth, but you always were a little strange."

"I don't think _you_ have any right to call _me_ strange, my friend."

Hiei made a faintly derisive snort and bounded away, and after a minute more, Shuuichi turned to go back inside. He could allow himself one night of peace before facing what new situation came with the dawn.


	23. Twenty-two

Twenty two

"I'm taking this test in a cave?" Kimiko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not like I can give it to you just _anywhere_ ," Genkai replied tartly, leading the way into the gloom. "The power of this test requires a safe place, and you can't do half as much damage underground as you could up there. So quite whining."

She was of the opinion that she _hadn't_ been whining, but she recognized the tone in her master's voice; Genkai didn't like having things rushed any more than she did... and yet, here they were.

"Are you still as committed to this as you were when I took you on?" Genkai asked, not looking back.

"If sacrificing my life saves a thousand others, then I'm okay with that," Kimiko replied immediately.

"...let's hope it doesn't. It's be a waste of ten years of effort. Stand here."

They stood less than two feet apart, and Genkai studied her; the old woman's face was almost invisible in the cavern darkness, so Kimiko wasn't sure what she was looking _for_ , but after a moment she felt more than saw the old woman nod.

"You've heard me talk about this before... the progression of age," Genkai said, her tone more thoughtful than normal. "You gain wisdom, but you trade off your power for it. It's something that happens, or should happen, to every human being. At my age, even with all my power, I know that Toguro is not someone I can easily take, if I can challenge him at all. Heh... if I'm being honest, I'd rather have lived out my final years never having to think of that jackass, let alone preparing you for this... I was going to wait at least one more, if not two... Ah well..."

She sighed a little.

"Master... are... are you sure about this?" Kimiko asked hesitantly. "If you... give me this test that you say is going to boost my powers... what happens to you?"

"I get older and less powerful," and she heard the elderly woman shrug. "But you're in the prime of your life right now. You have a strength that is still growing, however slow, and you'll be able to take this power, and all my techniques, and... well, you'll take them far, Kimiko."

She could hear the resolution in Genkai's voice and sighed a little; she didn't like the idea of Genkai dying, but she _had_ heard the speech before, quite a few times. Everything and everyone had a place in the world, and a time to die... it just didn't seem fair to think about it, when the idea of her master not being there hurt so much.

"Oh stop looking like that, girl," Genkai snapped, making her jump. "I'm transferring power to you, not kicking the bucket right now! Are you ready?"

Kimiko sighed a little, then nodded firmly.

Geenkai's energy blossomed all around them, throwing the cavern into sharp relief. Kimiko swore, holding up an arm as a ball of brilliant light seemed to emerge from the old woman's chest; it poured heat and energy like she was standing next to an inferno. As she watched, Genkai poured more into it, and the ball expanded from the size of a soft ball, to that of a child's bouncy ball.

 _This_ had been in Genkai the whole time?

"This is my spirit orb," Genkai said. "A condensed form of spirit energy that I have refined my entire life. Your test, Kimiko, is to align your energy with the power in this orb, and pray it doesn't tear you apart. I can't say how long this test will last, only that it will be the most brutal one you have ever faced."

Kimiko swallowed hard, and held out her hands for the ball of energy.

"Bring it on."

* * *

Tidying up the greenhouse, the shop, and the apartment had been all he felt he could do to keep himself busy and distracted from worrying about her. Renewing stock, and watering what was left, then going upstairs to wash the laundry, little tasks kept him mostly busy... until the cup that had been Kimiko's since their first meeting abruptly shattered on its shelf.

Shuuichi stared at it, and his brows drew together in concern.

"Kimiko..."

* * *

Pain. Her world was fire and pain. Blood dripped down her arms, spurted from her legs. She had to be screaming, but she couldn't even hear herself _think._ The feel of the spirit orb was all consuming, all encompassing.

There had to be a way to make it _stop_.

"Endure this, Kimiko." Genkai's voice cut through the screaming agony. "You can endure this. Don't fight it, don't clench it tightly, just ride it out like a wave."

Like a wave...

Kimiko managed to get in a full breath, but then the pain swamped her again, and despite what she was telling, _demanding_ her body to do, she screamed again with the pain and dropped to the stone floor.

A wave, a wave, a wave...

She clung to an image; that day on the beach when Shuuichi had surprised her, the first time she'd thrown herself at him in delight.

The ocean.

His smile.

Pain. Painpainpainpain _pain_.

Her mother, casually lounging in pajamas, a beer in her hand.

Yusuke. Fighting Kuwabara.

Keiko scolding...

Yusuke and Keiko getting married.

Was she dying? Was that why she was seeing these faces, these memories?

 _Pain_.

Ride the wave... Don't fight it, _ride it_.

She choked on blood in her mouth, spat it out, and coughed up more as the fire tried to eat her away from the inside. It hurt so much, she lacked words to describe it, and even the feel of her fingers trying to bite into the stone floor produced nothing.

No. Don't let it win. Too much at stake to die here.

Stupid way to die too. Would never live it down.

Heh. 'Live' it down...

Up. Get _up_ , damnit. Work legs. Work like you're supposed to.

Toohot toohot toohot... water. Find water.

 _Find water_.

Somehow, the thought propelled her to her feet, though her muscles screamed, her lungs ached. Reach the water... Where was it? She could hear it, just barely beyond the inferno of energy that muffled every other sound.

She staggered. Tripped and hit the ground. Pain boiled in her and she cried out with the fury of it.

Then back up. Water. She had to find water.

Peripherally she was aware of Genkai following her, but the old woman made no moves to help her. That was fine. She didn't need the help, damnit. She could do this, _would_ do this.

A wave. Ride the wave...

Air?

A curling current of air as Jin laughed and spun her up to the heights of the trees.

A touch of frost as Toya attacked her without warning or mercy.

Rinku's yelp of pain... he'd picked a fight this time, and she had to... had too...

What did she have to do?

The stone was beneath her again. When had she fallen? Slowly, agony in every breath, she made it to her knees. There was no shame in crawling when you couldn't walk. As long as a body kept moving, that was the important part.

The pain receded briefly, and she caught her breath on a sob; she couldn't do this, she wasn't Yusuke, this should be _his_ gift-

No. She could do this.

She _would_.

Water...

* * *

Genkai watched silently as Kimiko crawled, inch by inch, across the stone floor. She couldn't say what it was the girl was seeking, but seeing her like this... so young. So _very_ young. She remembered the shy fifteen year old girl who'd first walked up those stairs, unnerved by the wards in the forest that kept out intruders, looking for a way to be taught to control the power that blossomed in her breast.

She hadn't changed much since then, always looking to prove herself, just a little bit, to be seen for _herself_ instead of lost in the shadow of her twin's reputation. Oh, sure, she had grown more confident in her abilities, but it wasn't until recently, until that demon boy, that she had started to believe she was more than her brother.

"Endure this, Kimiko," she said quietly, holding out hope with her voice. "You have to make it out the other side..."

It was hard on the young woman. It was hard on the old one, who wanted to alleviate the pain, but could not be allowed to do so, not if they wanted a fighting chance against Toguro. She could only hope that Kimiko might one day forgive her for the choices being made without her knowledge.

* * *

Water.

Have to stop.

Water...

Have to _stop_.

No. Have to keep going. Keep breathing. Too much at stake to stop.

 _Water_.

Her hand met empty air, and she rolled down a slope, barely feeling the rocks that dug in, cut skin as she tumbled her way to a heap at the bottom. Panting for breath, she just laid there for several minutes, the pain receding enough momentarily to allow her a chance to think, before coming back to shake her like a dog with its favorite chew toy.

Her body arced, taut like a high-tension wire; a choked off cry of pain escaped her, and she tried to alleviate it the only way she could; desperately, she _pulled_ on the energy, and imagined a cool river. Healing herself had always been difficult, but with this power, it wasn't. Pain eased, even if only temporarily, and she was able to drag in a few gasping breaths.

Ride the power.

Ride the wave.

Pain shook her again, but it was... less. She lifted her head slowly, and found that she was at the edge of one of the many underground lakes, only a few inches shy of the water.

She reached out, putting her hand into the water, and swore volatility as the pain returned, sparking through her with jolts of white-hot flame. But it didn't last as long...

When it let her go, she pulled herself into the water inch by inch, until she could lay face up in the two inches of icy cold. She couldn't feel the cold, not with the fire still blazing inside of her, but... the water helped.

How long had she been there? Was she going to die?

Ride the wave...

Pain came in ripples, but slower now. Less... excruciating. Probably a good thing since her voice was pretty much gone. Her hands found purchase on the rock beneath her body as another wave rolled over her, leaving her gasping, wanting to cry and not having the tears to cry with.

Shuuichi.

 _Shuuichi_.

* * *

"Thank you for inviting me out," he said after a moment, "though surely you don't mean to do this every night...?"

"Every night until we hear from her, kiddo," Shizuru said firmly, taking a sip of her beer. "It's no fun worrying all alone, after all."

"Man, with the number of things that busted today, it's a wonder Yusuke's not even _more_ freaked out," Kazuma said after a moment, looking towards his friend. "He was pretty pissed off earlier..."

"Kimiko-san will be all right, won't she?" Yukina asked worriedly.

"I believe so," Shuuichi sighed a little. "But no one can say for certain..."

"I sure as hell can," Yusuke said abruptly, turning away from the window and stomping over to get a beer of his own. "There's no test that old hag can give that she won't pass, damnit!"

But he looked worried. So worried. It wasn't hard for anyone there to see it either, though no one was willing to bring it up. Shuuichi empathized heavily; his own calm was something he was clinging to with both hands, because if he didn't...

Cards made an appearance after a bit, and though they didn't play for money, they spent several hours in the diner's eating area playing cards, drinking, and having cautious conversation, the topic straying far away from the source of their concerns. Shuuichi found some small comfort in this group, after a silent night alone, he had been glad for this call from Kazuma.

It helped to have people to be worried _with_. And these people, these friends and family... they were good people to know.

"Um... Y... Yusuke?"

He looked up; they all did. Keiko had gone to bed several hours before looking exhausted, but now she looked pale and wide awake.

"What's up? Hungry?"

"...I think my water broke."

Shock silenced the group, and then there was a flurry of motion; Kazuma jumped for the telephone to call an ambulance as Yukina and Shuuichi quickly cleaned up the cards and cans. Shizuru was by Keiko's side in a flash, while Yusuke thumped his way up the stairs to the bedroom to get the bag they'd packed for the hospital stay.

It was early yet, Shuuichi thought, but perhaps the timing was right for the child... It was a pity, though, that Kimiko was going to miss this.

* * *

Kimiko closed her eyes in exhaustion; the pain washed over her like the water she was laying in, and she lacked the will to fight it much longer. Life was pain, wasn't it? People either fighting her or frightened of her because of Yusuke. Friends with her brother's friend, no friends of her own...

No. No, that was not true.

Genkai saw her.

Jin saw her.

Toya, Rinku, Suzuki, Shishiwakamaru, Chu... they all saw her.

Didn't they?

Shuuichi saw her...

She couldn't feel her body any more; either numb from the pain or the water. Probably both. Probably for the best.

 _Kurama_ saw her.

….not a comforting thought, really.

The roaring was softer now. She was drifting. Maybe she had failed, and this was what it was like to die. Just this... drifting. It was almost peaceful.

A thin wail shattered that peace, and she focused on the blurry scene forming around her. The details were... sparse. At best. But she thought maybe it was a hospital. Someone was crying nearby, a sound so full of life and potential that for a moment everything went sharp and clear.

Keiko.

A hospital bed.

A tiny baby on her chest.

She looked so tired...

Kimiko reached out a hand, passing a tiny spark of energy to her friend without a second thought. The tiredness receded from her friend's face and she almost thought she could hear someone swearing...

The blackness swallowed her briefly, and when she opened her eyes, she wasn't entirely sure of where she was. The water was icy on her skin, her clothes soaked all the way through with it. She was too damn cold to even shiver...

But the waves of pain had stopped. And she felt...

"Kimiko?"

She turned her head slowly, to see her master standing on the shore. It felt like it took a year to get her muscles to work again, they were stiff with cold, and a deep ache had settled within. Genkai waded into the water to help her sit upright, and then, with many false starts, to stand.

"Well done, girl," Genkai said once she was on her feet, wobbly but aware. "Come on. Let's get you back to the compound so you can get some proper rest."

* * *

The test had taken three days. It was stunning to realize, because the pain had felt timeless, but they had emerged to freshly fallen snow, and a fairly disgruntled Shishiwakamaru, who had carried Kimiko back to the compound on his back. She had then slept for two more, and woken groggily on the third day to find Shuuichi waiting patiently with a tray of food.

"Shuu?"

"Welcome back," he said with a faint smile. "You had everyone rather worried, you know."

"Uh huh..."

She sat up slowly, but the pain was nothing more than a distant memory, and once he laid the tray on her lap, she began to eat enthusiastically; she was _starving_.

"Keiko had her baby, by the way," he said, when she paused for breath. "A little girl. They haven't agreed on a name just yet, but they're both doing fine."

Kimiko blinked in surprise, pausing with another bite halfway to her mouth.

"I thought she wasn't due for another three weeks?"

"Apparently the little one had her own ideas," he said with a chuckle. "The doctors want to monitor her for a bit, but thus far, the prognosis is that they ought to be able to go home soon."

"That's..."

Kimiko shook her head after a moment, words failing her. It was so strange to realize that time kept moving on, there was no way to halt the flow or go back on what had already happened. Yusuke had a daughter now... and she was facing one of the greatest threats to their world.

Shuuichi moved closer and she leaned against his shoulder on nothing more than reflex, suddenly needing his strength. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, squeezing gently, and after a bit she sighed.

"I'll have to make time to go see them after we clean up this mess," she said finally, firmly. "I _definitely_ need pictures of Yuu making a fool of himself over his daughter!"

He chuckled a little and kissed her forehead.

"Kazuma seems as taken with the tiny child as your brother. He seemed to take it as an impetus to officially ask Yukina on a date."

Kimiko couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Oh, Hiei is just going to have ten kinds of fits, isn't he?"

"He might. As far as I know, she actually agreed, so it may well be that he doesn't get a choice about it."

"I doubt he'd get much of a say in it anyways; Yukina's pretty easy-going, but I bet she digs in her heels when she's made up her mind on something. Not even a brother can change _that_."

He nuzzled her lightly, and she leaned against him a little more.

"You are probably correct."

* * *

"It's weird," she said, as they rode the train back home. "I don't... _feel_ stronger. Not really..."

She was studying her hands with a baffled look, and he reached out to gently cover them with his. The day had been spent mostly eating, no training, and Genkai had insisted they go back ahead of her; she would come the following morning, whether they had the exact location of the tunnel or not, and would grab Jin and Toya on the way.

"Perhaps it's because you spent two days sleeping, and grew accustomed to it," Shuuichi suggested. "Your masking skills are impressive, I admit..."

If he didn't know her so well, he would have assumed that the test had been failed. But under her skin, buried beneath her ability to mask her power level, there was the feeling of roiling, churning energy. Like a maelstrom, waiting to be unleashed. And even for him, a master thief, who could winnow out many secrets, it was hard to see even that much.

"Are you still wearing the spirit cuffs?" he asked.

"Mmhm. Master said I'd know when it was the right time to take them off... Which, I admit, makes me _extremely_ nervous."

"It should be quite the spectacle when it happens."

"Maybe..." Kimiko looked doubtful, then smiled a little when he squeezed her hands. "I kind of hope it doesn't, but... well I guess we'll find out."


	24. Twenty-three

Twenty three

"We've got the location of the tunnel, and we are running out of time," Koenma said the minute Kimiko blearily picked up the phone. "You know where the entrance to the cave is, yes?"

"Nnn... uh huh..."

Well, she _sort of_ knew. It was part of an area that she generally had no reason to be in, well outside of town. In the mountains for sure, given that it was a system of caves that led into the city itself.

"Get there. _Now_."

The commanding tone, just before the silence fell, had her sitting up with a tired groan, even as she glanced out the window. Still black, which meant it was well before dawn, and bound to be unpleasantly cold.

Beside her, Shuuichi stirred, lifting his head.

"Something must've happened... he sounded almost panicked. You know, for Koenma," she mumbled, rubbing her face.

"Then we shouldn't waste time. I'll call us a taxi."

She nodded, pushing her way out from under the blankets reluctantly; not even a full night in her own... _their_ own... bed before madness took over. It figured.

"Aren't you glad now I insisted we stop by that convenience store?" she teased gently as she headed for her space to get into something suitable for a winter fight.

He only sighed in what she knew was tolerant amusement, and Kimiko giggled a little, then pulled open the dresser and started rifling through her things. There was no doubt that this was going to be a fight, probably _the_ fight to end all fights. She had to be ready for that...

Tank top. Bracers. Those stupid kung-fu pants she'd stolen from Yusuke three years back. Leather jacket to help keep her warm and offer another layer of protection. Hairpins, because like hell she was going to let her stupid braid get her in trouble this time.

It wasn't much, but it was the best she had to work with.

She could hear Shuuichi in the main room, his voice soft as he spoke to a taxi company, and felt her heart twist a little. They were going to fight, _bound_ to fight, together. But she had a moment to wish that she hadn't gotten him involved in this at all, that she could have let him continue his peaceful existence.

It still didn't seem _fair_ to have drawn him so thoroughly into the chaos that was her life.

"Kimiko..."

She jumped, then shook herself sharply, turning to face him. He studied her for a moment, then came in and pulled her into his arms. She rested her head on his chest, and breathed in the smell of green, growing things, and slowly relaxed.

"I'm here," he said softly. "By my choice and my own desire, Kimiko. I will not be chased or turned away, you cannot close me out. I am _here_ ," and his arms tightened around her. "And I will not abandon you."

She didn't cry, but it was a near thing. She wrapped her arms around him for a long, terrified moment, and wished there was just more time.

But soon enough, the shine of headlights came through the window, and the sound of the cab was unmistakable. She let out a slow breath and pulled away, finding a grim sort of resolve deep inside.

"Let's go close a tunnel."

* * *

The taxi ride was silent, tense; other than a few attempts at banalities, the driver had remained silent, allowing Kimiko to simply sit on the edge of the seat, hands tight in her lap. Halfway through, Shuuichi had reached over and covered her fists with his, and she'd turned her hand palm up to hold on.

She was scared. She was _terrified_. If she screwed this up, failed somehow, it would bring about a legitimate apocalypse, and gods help anyone who survived, because there would be too few demon hunters, and psychics, to help fix things.

She couldn't fail.

But gods, if she _did_...

She closed her eyes tightly, and turned to leaned into Shuuichi's arm. In response, he lifted his arm a little to wrap around her shoulders, and his chin came down on her head. To her surprise, after a moment she realized she was smelling roses, and glanced at the hand dangling over her shoulder. There, tucked loosely between two fingers, was a rose, the color indeterminate in the dark, but the scent strong. Soothing.

He breathing eased, and her thoughts slowed. She wouldn't be alone here. It wasn't going to be a vicious one on one the way it had been with Rando, she had a partner, Koenma was waiting for them, and no doubt Genkai as well. Hopefully Jin and Toya...

When the taxi pulled up next to an older-model pickup, Kimiko slid out slowly and looked around as Shuuichi paid the driver. The insects had all vanished in the past few hours of sleep she'd garnered, and she almost missed them, as ugly as they'd been. There was an air about this place, far creepier than she'd been led to believe, and from farther in, she could feel it... a swirling, growing miasma of ice cold danger.

"Slowpoke."

She jumped a foot, and spun, ready to attack, only to see that it was Genkai, giving her a somewhat mocking look.

"...not _all_ of us can catch a ride with a wind master," she huffed, feeling heat cross her cheeks as Shuuichi joined them. "Where is everyone?"

"Given the hour, Koenma thought it'd be wiser if we waited at the cave entrance, to not give people too many reasons to talk. Bad enough that you needed a cab to get out here."

"Don't need a car. Too expensive. Besides, you can't talk; how long did it take me pestering before you put in even that crappy temple landline again?"

"Apples and oranges, girl, don't talk back."

Kimiko drew in a breath to snap back anyways, then jolted when Shuuichi laid a hand on her shoulder. It helped to clear her mind at least; this was no good-natured pre-battle banter; Genkai was plainly as displeased about things, and that made her far more caustic than usual. So she took in a breath, let it out slowly, then turned towards the cave.

They walked down the steep hill in mutual silence, and met the other three at the cave entrance; Hiei joined them a moment later, carrying with him the air of someone who was only there under duress, only nodding a little when Shuuichi lifted his hand slightly.

Kimiko was immediately distracted as Koenma handed her a small mirror; she took it, and waved it about curiously. It didn't much _look_ like anything special...

"What's this?"

"Don't _play_ with it," he yelped a little, trying to grab it back. Kimiko handed it to Shuuichi instead, grinning a little at Koenma's reaction. "It's a tracking mirror! It'll get us to the tunnel, hopefully in time to stop it from opening."

"What do you mean 'hopefully?'" she asked, eyes narrowing, all humor deserting her.

"I mean we messed up, and this thing is about four hours away from opening, so we need to _move_ ," he replied, suiting actions to words.

It made her stare for a moment; both the news, and the fact that he was coming too. Koenma was no fighter, his kidnapping at New Year's had proved that, but... he was tagging along? Why?

Genkai lightly kicked her in the leg, and she jumped, then trotted to catch up, the rest falling in a ragged group behind. The cave should have been dark, but to her senses it glowed with a malevolent energy, painting the stone with enough color that she could see where to put her feet without too much effort.

"Why's it always gotta be underground with this nonsense?" Jin asked plaintively behind her.

"To thwart you specifically, I'm sure," Toya responded.

"Ah, I knew it!"

Serious situation or not, their small banter brought a smile to her face; at least they could have a sense of humor about things, even if she found her own heart somewhere down near her toes. Even with her master on one side, and her lover on the other, this vicious stew of power that they marched towards scared her down to her core.

And she was supposed to _fight_ someone in this miasma?

"...the wind is unpleasant," Jin sighed a little. "Too much of that old place t'be anythin nice."

"I do want others to live here, but I agree. This is just going to cause problems."

"Speak for yourselves," Hiei put in, sounding bored. "The air smells of home to me."

Kimiko shook her head a little, and turned her attention elsewhere.

"We'll have to take the whole mess out," Genkai said bluntly, addressing Koenma. "Technology, psychics, the works. Whatever's powering this tunnel, we can leave it intact for some _other_ idiot to get their hands on."

"Yes, I am aware of that. I'm hoping it's not an insurmountable task."

"It can be done," and Kimiko felt, for a brief moment, the weight of Genkai's gaze. "Probably with a much bigger bang that anyone can really deal with."

"...I'm not collapsing an entire city block with the Spirit Wave," Kimiko said, trying to sound severe instead of afraid.

"Pity. That could be worth seeing."

" _Master!_ "

Genkai smirked a little and Kimiko scowled; surely her control was better regarded than that! From her side—and back—came a sound of amusement, and she slanted a huffy glare at Shuuichi, who was wearing his faintly amused smile.

"You hush."

"I wasn't going to say anything," he offered mildly.

"Uh huh, _sure_ you weren't," she reached over and gave him a light push. Then turned, and pointed to Jin, "You either, smart guy."

"Ach, I see how it is, pickin on us redheads."

"Given that you redheads are generally the worst sorts of teases, yes," she retorted.

"I must concur," Toya said, and she sensed more than saw his small smile. "You both do seem to have a knack for it."

"Well, perhaps we redheads should walk on our own," Jin said, mock-threateningly.

He ruined it by laughing, and Kimiko felt some of her tension easing, even in the face of the thick air. Maybe they weren't the most powerful team in the history of ever, but there was no doubt that everyone—except maybe Koenma, and who _knew_ when it came to him—was strong in their own rights, and hopefully together they were more than a match for what they were approaching.

* * *

It was hard to resist the urge to transform, with the breath of the demon world washing over his skin. The memory of the dulled landscapes, the brutal, devious mannerisms that were law in that world. Casual cruelty and secrets, powerful treasures, and dreams of strength.

In his own way, Shuuichi was as afraid of what was happening as Kimiko... though he suspected his was far more self-centered. If the human world and the demon one became connected by that tunnel, the chaos would be...

Glorious.

Repugnant.

Two sides of him, answering the same question; the thief would delight in the chaos, because it meant that many secrets would be available for the taking, and so much more. His human self wanted this threat to end, wanted to preserve the wonder and life found in this world.

He slanted a glance to Kimiko, and felt a faint pang of regret; she was doing her best, but she couldn't hide the fear that muted her scent, and the closed off nature of her usually mobile face gave that away more than anything. Genkai was right; she ought to have been the foremost healer, a stout defender, not someone marching to the attack, knowing full well that she might not survive.

He should have asked her already.

When they survived this, he would. He would take her to see her new little niece, and then he'd _make_ the right moment, and ask her.

He reached out, and took her hand. It was rigid for a moment, and then she twined her fingers tightly with his. It was probably all the anxiety she would admit to... and all the affection he could currently afford to give.

They had to be ready to fight. Not just for their lives, but for the lives of every human in this city, and all those beyond it. Their affection, their love... they couldn't worry about one another. Not in the battle to come. They had to think beyond themselves, to focus on saving what they could, and ending what could not be saved.

And somehow, that seemed to be the hardest part of all.

* * *

It was impossible to tell time in the dark, but Kimiko, still clinging tightly to Shuuichi's hand, could feel that dawn was close, and their time was running short. Up ahead of them, light spilled out of a cavern, and Koenma paused.

"It's in there," he said with quiet certainty. "The tunnel, and whoever, or whatever is powering it."

Kimiko let out a slow breath, and released Shuuichi's hand with pure reluctance and regret. No time to say anything else now. No last, sweet words...

Don't think like that.

She gritted her teeth, and lifted her chin.

"I'll stay here, in case one of you gets too badly hurt," Koenma said. "I can get backup faster than anyone else if that becomes the case. Or... worse."

"Where's this backup going to come from?" Genkai asked, her gruff voice lacking its usual bite.

"Spirit World. In-fighting aside, everyone knows that if the demons set to invade the humans, we won't have a choice in the matter."

"Heh. You really should have taken the spot from your old man."

"...you're not the first to say that to me."

"If you're staying, you can hold this," Kimiko said, dropping her phone into his hands. "I've managed to keep it unbroken for eight months, I'd like to make it a full year."

She'd surprised him, but he stuck it in the pocket of his pants after a moment.

"Good luck..."

Kimiko let out a breath, and strode towards the light.

The cavern was _huge_. It stretched overhead soaring to a height that could have fit a five story building, a wide lake in the center. On the shore of the lake stood five men, all identifiable from their photos, or in Sakyo's case, the lack of one. The two Toguros. Karasu, thin and pale, a mask covering his face. Bui, in his massive plate armor, looking like a cross between a body-builder and a samurai.

"And here I'd thought this would go off without any hitch," the businessman said with a small sigh.

"I told you that Spirit World would investigate sooner or later," replied the tall man in dark shades. Younger Toguro, Kimiko's mind supplied. "Especially when Hiei failed to kill the girl."

"You didn't offer enough to get on Kurama's bad side," Hiei replied bluntly.

"Gee, thanks Hiei," Kimiko grumbled, folding her arms.

The demon ignored her.

"...Genkai..." The younger Toguro looked—for lack of a better word—almost surprised. "What brings an old fossil like you out of the mountains?"

"Cut the crap you jackass," the old woman snapped. "Do you think I _like_ being here, cleaning up your messes again?"

"Oh, brother, she still has that delightfully wicked tongue," the elder Toguro sniggered. "We still have a bit before the tunnel opens up, why don't we play with them?"

The younger Toguro looked to Sakyo, who shrugged indifferently.

"That's the girl?" he asked.

"I'm _not_ a _girl_ ," Kimiko said flatly, pulling energy into her hands and adding a lavender glow to the amber lantern light. "The name is Urameshi Kimiko, and you're tunnel is about to get blown to shit."

"Hm. Well, have fun," Sakyo said, stepping back.

"Bui. You can handle Hiei," the elder Toguro said from his perch on his younger brother's shoulder. "Karasu, you can have the pretty redhead. I suppose I'll handle the two ninja, eh, Brother?~"

"If it pleases you, Brother," the younger Toguro said... though Kimiko thought she heard a hint of infliction in his monotone voice. "That leaves me Genkai and her apprentice."

"Tch. Now you're just being insulting," Hiei said, drawing his sword.

"Kimiko. Follow my lead."

"Yes, Master."

As one, the two groups leapt to the fight.

* * *

To call it chaotic would have been far too kind; from his sheltered position at the cave mouth, Koenma watched as much of all of it as he could, though most of his focus was reserved for watching the fight between the younger Toguro, Genkai, and Kimiko.

Bui, apparently, could conjure up giant axes, and swing them with strength, accuracy, and speed. Hiei was still faster, and the fire demon seemed to be under impressed with his opponent, even as they clashed hard enough to strike sparks across the stone floor.

Kurama had made an appearance at least; Shuuichi had fought him back during their long walk, but there was no doubt he was using the extra speed and stamina his full demon form afforded him in his bout against Karasu. The other demon appeared to be making living bombs from his energy, sending them at Kurama from as many angles as possible. Already, several holes had been blown in the stone floor, though only a few bits of shrapnel had connected with Kurama.

Jin and Toya were working as a team against the Elder Toguro, who's malleable body was causing more than a few problems. Easily shaping his body to his own pleasure made it very hard for even the two agile ninja to land any hits that could be devastating... or even disabling.

And as for Genkai and Kimiko...

The Younger Toguro had increased the mass of his muscles by at least half again what they had been. Kimiko wore an expression of disgust at the appearance of the distended muscles, but Genkai's face was as blank as stone. The web of fate around those three was weaving tighter and tighter, Koenma knew; soon, something would snap. Genkai was leading the attack for the moment, her slight stature and speed giving her an edge, but her lack of energy was telling, and the growing smirk on the face of the younger Toguro showed that he knew.

The fights couldn't stay separate for long; there just wasn't enough room in the cavern for it. Bui's fight with Hiei spilled into Karasu's against Kurama, irritating the slender demon into sending a dozen bombs after Hiei, who batted them contemptuously aside, launching a fiery attack of his own with a bandage-covered hand. The flames licked far darker than any mortal fires ever had, and Karasu was forced into a quick dodge from two angles as Kurama took advantage of his distraction to grow a few demon world ojigi and set them at both enemy demons.

"Find your own target!" Hiei shot, crossing Kurama's jumping path with a smirk.

"Perhaps keep your targets away from mine?" was the smooth counter.

Hiei barked out a brief laugh, and lashed out with his sword, knocking Bui to and across the lake like he was a skipping stone, impacting the wall on the far shore. Karasu was chased in a similar direction by the trio of ojigi, though he did spare one to throw in the direction of the Elder Toguro, against whom Jin and Toya were having a frustrating lack of luck.

The Elder Toguro hadn't really moved from his spot; he hadn't needed to, to parry Jin's aerial attacks or Toya's sword of ice. His flesh molded as he pleased, and lashed out in long, spiky ropes to try and impale the two former ninja. So far, they were up to the task of dodging him, but Koenma couldn't help wondering just how long that luck would hold.

Hopefully, long enough. The plant seemed drawn to him, so he hoped that Kurama had a plan, if nothing else...

An energy blast snapped up his attention, and he turned to the final fight once more; Genkai's spirit blast had a limit to it now, to match her age, and that ball was only half the size it had once been. There was still quite a packet of density _to_ it, but even though it struck the younger Toguro squarely, the damage it did was... minimal.

He skidded back across the stone towards the lake, at least half of his upper arm in chunks, and his shades cracked. But he kept his feet, and smirked as Kimiko and Genkai dropped down before him.

"That's the best you can do, old woman?" he taunted. "The committee that made my body was quite _thorough_ , you know..."

As they watched, bone and muscle regenerated. Koenma didn't have to see the faces of the two women to know that this wasn't good. Kimiko's hands clenched, and the lavender light grew brighter around her fists. This time it was the younger woman who leaped to the attack, in defense or distraction it was hard to say, but she was throwing a flurry of punches... and the younger Toguro did not manage to black all of them.

Across the lake, Bui had pulled himself out of the wall, conjuring a new axe with which to try and hit Hiei. At least three times the size of the previous one, he used it to haul up large chunks of rock from the cavern floor, hurling them at the diminutive demon, and clearly not caring who else might get in the way. Karasu proceeded to blow up two of them in clear irritation, even as Kurama jumped up over them and lashed out with his preferred rose whip.

There was an annoyed yelp from the elder Toguro as one of the thrown chunks narrowly missed Jin and almost flattened him instead. Toya used this distraction and blew out several shards of ice, hoping to freeze him to the ground as Jin blew another rock chunk into pebbles before it could hit his partner.

"Hiei, keep your fight tae yerself!" the wind demon bellowed.

"If you can't dodge, that's not my problem," Hiei shot back. "Pay better attention to your surroundings!"

Their banter had attracted Kimiko's attention, and that split second glance to assure herself that no one was hurt cost her. Togur's fist came blazing in, and she barely managed to get a block up in time; she still went flying across the room—swearing the entire way—to crash into the wall and leave an imprint behind.

Leaving Genkai alone against the younger Toguro, who smirked coldly at her, even as his sunglasses shattered.

"You were never so much a coward as you are now," Genkai said bitterly. "I should have just killed you myself at the end of that damn tournament."

"But now it's much, much too late," he said.

His power surged again, and even as Kimiko pulled herself out of the wall, dazed, but already healing, he threw himself at the old woman, launching punch after punch.

"You're too _old_ to even think about killing me!" he bellowed. "And I've spent my time getting stronger! So who's the coward again, _Genkai?!_ "

The old woman met his attacks, but she was tiring. Koenma bowed his head a little, knowing what was about to come, and knowing also that there was nothing he could do to stop this.

"You are," the old woman said flatly. "You ran away from _everything_ you could have been to end up like this."

She was a hair too slow on the block. Koenma looked away, not wanting to witness this, but he could not block out the sounds of the younger Toguro's fist meeting Genkai's chest..

Nor Kimiko's horrified shriek that halted every fight in the room.

* * *

Kimiko watched, wondering if maybe this was some horrible nightmare. Maybe she was dreaming, and would wake up in her futon in the compound. Or her bed in Shuuichi's apartment. Hell, her own bed in _her_ apartment, with this whole event being nothing more than a particularly mean series of fragmentary dreams.

She watched at Toguro's huge fist impacted Genkai's chest. Heard the sound as bones broke and knew they were not his. Watched as the old woman sailed in her direction to land on the rough stone of the cave. One breath. Two. Surely she would get up.

"G... Genkai?" she whispered. "Master, please..."

The younger Toguro smirked at her from where he stood.

"Age brings nothing but weakness," he sneered a little.

Genkai's hand moved, just slightly. Faster than he had ever moved before in her life, Kimiko was there in a second, clutching at the raised hand.

"Hold on Master," she said, her throat thick as she suppressed panic. "I can-"

"D... Don't... bother, girl," Genkai said. "You need... to do one thing for me."

"Master, please-"

"Kimiko."

Even dying, feeling the life ebbing out of her, that whip-snap of a tone made Kimiko fall silent.

"It's...my time to die," the old woman wheezed. "You... _must_... destroy this t-tunnel."

"Don't leave me," Kimiko pleaded, tears building in her eyes. "Master, please... _please_..."

The old woman smiled a tired, loving smile. And expression that looked so odd on her usually grumpy face, but held so much that she had never needed to say. Kimiko had always understood.

"You're... a good kid. You'll go... far..."

Her eyes closed, and she sighed.

Kimiko shook her, lightly at first, and then frantically. The old woman just laid there, the last of her energy spent. She was gone.

" _GENKAI!_ "

Power flared out in response to her scream, lavender waves of energy that slammed into and through everyone in her grief. She didn't care. _Couldn't_ care.

Her master was dead.

Tears spilled over Kimiko's cheeks, splattering down onto the old woman's robes. She hugged the frail body to her chest and sobbed, not caring that she was supposed to be fighting for the lives of the thousands of humans. Not caring, for the moment, that the portal was almost completed, ready to disgorge a host of hungry, angry demons on the rest of the world.

 _Her master was dead._

And there had been _nothing_ she could do to stop it.

Slowly, the tears dried up. The energy stilled. She staggered to her feet, cradling Genkai's still form in her arms and turned towards the cave entrance; Koenma stood there, his face unreadable as she approached, and silently handed him the body.

"Go farther down the tunnel," she said softly. "You'll get hurt if you stay here."

Whatever he saw in her face made him nod, and he backed away as she turned.

"Why weep for her, little girl?" the elder Toguro taunted. "You and all your friends will be joining her soon enough!"

Kimiko looked at him. Then at his brother, who seemed... not sad, but at least respectful of her grief. Bui's impossible to read face across the cavern, Karasu's clear contempt for her reaction.

Jin, wiping his eyes free of tears, Toya unable to even look at her. Hiei, looking... sympathetic? Something like that, anyways. Maybe understanding was a better word.

Kurama. Open pain on his face. For her.

Something seemed to click into place for her then, something deeper than anger, than grief. The terrible knowledge that Genkai had done this for her. _For her_.

She lifted her arms slightly, and spoke a single word in a tone so quiet it could be mistaken for nothing other than fury.

" _Avitus_." 

* * *

Koenma had teleported quickly to the front of the cavern, laying Genkai's body as respectfully into the back of the truck as he could before making it back in time to heard that whispered word. The power that had run through him before, run through them all, was _nothing_ compared to this burst. Everyone staggered as they were buffeted by the lavender energy that seemed to take the shape of a large, roaring cat before it settled back into her skin.

He stared with wide, unnerved eyes as golden strands appeared in Kimiko's hair, like threads of metal that wound their way through her braid, which had lots its hairpins at this point and now waved like a banner in the wind she had thrown through the cavern.

"Upset?" The younger Toguro smirked a little, his eyes cold and hard.

"You took away the first person who saw me," she said, and though her voice was soft, there was a thunderous power to it now. "I'm going to make you wish you'd never been _born_."

As if her powering up had been some signal, Bui began discarding pieces of his armor, while Karasu removed his mask. Koenma watched as Bui developed a battle aura that lifted him up off the floor; Karasu sucked in a breath, and his hair—all of it, not just the random strands like Kimiko's—shifted from deep black to a pale blond. The younger Toguro smirked, and his own powers increased, muscles bulging far beyond just grotesque. The power level in the cavern jumped high enough to make the floor shake, and Koenma got the feeling that the entire group had forgotten their original purpose for being there.

Though given the way Kimiko's initial power burst had fried the demons that had been trying to press through the incomplete portal from the other side, she had bought them a few extra moments worth of time. He could see Sakyo across the cave, staring at the furious young woman, and wondered what the businessman was thinking.

His question quickly became a moot point, as the fights began in earnest once more. Kimiko was there one second, gone the next, a flurry of energy laced punches raining down on the younger Toguro, who was keeping up... barely.

Kurama's whip sliced out, digging new lines in the stone as he went for Karasu, heedless of what this new burst in power might lend itself towards. Several more ojigi appeared, heading straight for the off-blanace blond demon, wrapping him up in their hungry mouths even as he tried to deflect them with explosives. Plants after plant covered him until he was hidden beneath an angry ball of leaves.

Bui had come at Hiei, a pale green battle aura surrounding him, but still couldn't manage to _hit_ the smaller demon. Hiei, for his part, seemed to be shredding the bandages on his arm, revealing hints of a black tattoo that my Koenma's stomach clench with nerves; if Hiei had really mastered the Dark Dragon, and unleashed it in _here_...

Jin swooped in, a tornado wrapped around each forearm, aiming his fists directly for the elder Toguro, whom Toya had managed—finally—to freeze to the ground. But the brother just smirked and leaned to one side, allowing Jin to blow on past; he didn't even seem _annoyed_ by his predicament. He did look surprised when Jin managed to flip around and unload both fists into his back, blowing him out into the middle of the lake.

Toya stepped forward, and put one hand on the water; ice snapped out from his palm so fast that it made Koenma blink, and in seconds a thick layer of it coated the lake

From the side, light played around the ojigi plants, then exploded, knocking Kurama back several feet, though he managed to stay upright. Karasu emerged from the plants, looking furious and battered, and launched a wave of flying bombs at the fox demon, clearly intending to swamp him in the explosives.

Kurama flicked his wrist, and thousands of rose petals and thorns swept out to meet Karasu's bombs, and the demon beyond them. Karasu dodged... but not well enough. Thorns dug in, drawing blood, and Koenma was sure that the demon was smirking... then again, Kurama seemed to always be smirking, except when he'd looked over at Kimiko in her absolute grief.

" _Dragon of the Darkness Flame_!"

Koenma yelped, hastily erecting a shield as a dragon of black and purple fire launched itself at Bui from Hiei's right arm. Bui howled, his voice somewhere between terror and anger, and his aura flared brighter.

Koenma watched as it pushed Bui around the room, crashing him into the cavern's stone walls, and through the multitude of computers and other equipment that had been concealed at the far side of the cavern.

The tunnel flickered... and began to shrink. But the fights were not yet over.

Kimiko and the younger Toguro were still trading blows, though hers were leaving craters, indents in that muscled flesh, and his missed more often than they hit. Even _when_ they hit, Kimiko seemed able to shrug them off easier now, keeping her feet, even turning to rebound off the wall he'd tried to throw her into.

She showed no signs of tiring, her energy tightly condensed in her hands, and though he couldn't quite read the younger Toguro's expression, he wondered if he wasn't starting to feel... worried. Her face was an expressionless mask, almost terrifying in its emptiness, and it was clear that she wasn't going to stop until the younger Toguro was dead... or she was.

The elder Toguro brother burst his way out from under the ice, looking furious and bedraggled. He launched himself at Toya, and was intercepted by a hard blast of wind from Jin. Both ninja had their fair share of cuts from indirect hits, but they had thrown themselves into this battle with greater will now, sharing Kimiko's grief at the death of Genkai. If they couldn't kill this brother, well, it was clear they were damned well going to keep him distracted until one of the others _could_.

Bui let out another yell, and the dark dragon rebounded from him, launching towards Hiei, who seemed too stunned to evade it. Even as it swallowed the diminutive demon up, Karasu let out a choked cry of pain; Kurama had summoned a new plant to use against him, and the speed of it, combined with the fact that he was bleeding, meant that there had been no time for Karasu to dodge. The plant latched on, sucking out his blood from every open wound until it covered him, blossoming into a glimmering glittering tree.

Kurama looked expressionlessly up at the fiery dragon, then over at Bui; if there hadn't already been coldness in his face, Koenma was willing to swear that it had become _particularly_ murderous. The fox launched himself at Bui, distracting him from his somewhat mad laughter as the dragon writhed in midair, and launched a flurry of thorns that grew to the size of daggers in seconds. Bui was forced to quickly defend himself against this new attacker, and it took him several moments to rebuild the battle aura he's allow to gutter out.

Koenma shuddered a little, wishing there was something he could do to ease their grief, but at the same time approving of the way it gave them a stricter, greater purpose.

The tunnel was shrinking faster now, and he turned his gaze to Sakyo, who seemed annoyed that the equipment was in ruins. Not just in ruins, some of it was buried in the rubble from the fight, and Koenma could see that Kurama was targeting that as much as Bui.

It got worse when the power of the dragon flared abruptly, then suddenly condensed back into the fire demon. Kurama immediately leaped clear as Hiei dropped to the stone, plainly burning hot enough to _melt_ what he'd landed on. Bui stared in horror, and screamed as the flames of the dragon came for him again, throwing him to the farthest cave wall and embedding him at least six inches into the stone. Rock and fire splashed down, engulfing Sakyo and all of the computer equipment before the businessman could even look up.

The tunnel popped out of existence, and Koenma heaved a tired sigh of relief. One problem solved, or slagged in this case. While he would have liked to know how the hell Sakyo had managed it, he would be heavily content with the fact that all that knowledge was gone for good.

Bui peeled himself off the cavern wall, barely conscious, and spoke to Hiei, but he was too far away to make out the words; Hiei seemed dismissive of whatever it was, and kicked Bui in the head, knocking him out cold. Kurama looked from Hiei to Bui, shook his head a little, then caught Hiei before he could pass out from the energy use, rapidly crossing the cavern to deposit Hiei next to Koenma.

Before Koenma could ask, Kurama was back over there, and returned with the unconscious Bui.

"...what are you doing?"

"This one is more a pawn of Toguros rather than a true enemy. Saving one life in four may well be all we can offer as a balm."

He looked not at Koenma when he spoke, but at Kimiko, still fighting blindingly fast. Koenma winced a little, then sighed.

"Help Jin and Toya."

Kurama looked at Koenma for a long moment, then at the two ninja before nodding, and leaping back into the fight. Three on one odds were only unfair when the enemy didn't have a way to fight multiple people at once, and _surely_ the fox would be able to come up with something to take out the scrawny demon.

A fog bloomed up around the four fighter, Toya's icy mist combined with Kurama's non-toxic mold-spoor cloud. Koenma could see nothing within for several long minutes, though he heard sounds like there was some serious fighting taking place within it. First Jin, then Toya emerged, looking worn but unscathed, joining him at the cavern entrance.

"...what is he doing in there?" Koenma asked, unnerved by the high-pitched furious screaming of the elder Toguro.

"I don't think we want to know," Toya replied, his eyes fixed on the smokescreen. "We set up the screen and then he told us to get out."

"Whatever it is, it's pissin off bone boy somethin fierce," Jin said, shivering a little. "If he gets hurt, Kimiko's gonna shift from this tae... well... probably worse."

Given that she had just launched a kick that knocked the younger Toguro ass over teakettle, and looked like it had broken his neck, the idea of her doing worse was arguably terrifying.

Fortunately for all their nerves, Kurama emerged moments later, the smoke clearing slowly. They all stared at the sight of the elder Toguro locked in the embrace of a tree, screaming inanities as it seemed to... take root in his body.

"...remind me tae stay on your good side," Jin said, wide eyed as Kurama approached.

Kurama smirked a little, then the form of the fox melted back into the more familiar redhead, who turned to watch Kimiko's fight.

Toguro was standing up again, laughing. His head, which had been at a painfully awkward angle, straightened with cracking and popping sounds that made everyone still awake flinch.

"Yes, give your all in this," he said mockingly, as Kimiko stood before him, energy still coiling around her skin. "You're still not good enough."

She took a new stance then, one familiar to Koenma; he had seen Genkai perform the Spirit Wave a handful of times, and it was no surprise that Kimiko would know it. That she would _use_ it was another story...

Between her hands, a small ball of energy blossomed; it was about the size of a marble, and Koenma winced at the brilliance of it.

"Your portal is gone," she said flatly, the first words she'd spoken since telling Koenma to get farther back. "So are your allies, and your way of making it. But I don't think you'll surrender to anything that might be considered justice, will you?"

"No. And I doubt your little ball of energy will be able to do much either."

Emotion crossed her face for the first time since she'd launched back into the fight. It was a smile so chilly, so icily cold that Koenma had to grab Shuuichi by the shoulder to keep him from taking a step forward.

"If you get caught in this blast, there isn't going to be _anyone_ who can control her," he said lowly when Shuuichi tried to pull away. "Don't distract her, don't _move_ towards her. In fact, we should all move farther back so I can set up a barrier."

Shuuichi seemed dissatisfied with that response, but after a moment he nodded.

"You get Hiei; you two, pick up Bui and drag him back. Around the bend would probably be the safest."

He wanted to see, but he wasn't suicidal; Kimiko really _could_ Spirit Wave the entire cavern out of existence in her current frame of mind.

The question now was, would she survive it?

* * *

"You think Genkai's Spirit Wave is going to help you?"

Kimiko just ignored him, concentrating on the energy in her hands. Remembering the feel of that small sun Genkai had gifted her with less than a week ago.

Her last gift. Her final lesson.

Power, but not enough. The fact that he had taken all her blows, shrugged them off in the same manner she had shrugged his off... No, even if she tapped all of the power in the orb, all the energy that was now hers, it would not be enough.

She spared a moment to feel sad; she wasn't going to get to meet her new niece after all, nor spend that life she wanted to with Shuuichi. She hadn't wanted to let go of those dreams for the future; get married, have his children, be... happy. At peace.

But she couldn't allow this man, this demon, to live. Not after what he had done.

"...sorry Shuuichi," she whispered. "Maybe in the next lifetime..."

She tapped more. Deeper. The ball in her hands grew to blinding incandescence, and she lunged for Toguro. He had just started to shift back, to begin his block, when her hands impacted his chest, and she thrust the power of the Spirit Wave into him.

The cave, and Toguro, disappeared in a blinding flare of lavender light.

* * *

The backlash of power slammed into Koenma's barrier, and he strained to hold it against the energy Kimiko had unleashed. Her emotions poured over them, the grief, the pain, the fury, the self-loathing...

The pure, aching love.

Koenma's barrier cracked, then cracked again, even as he poured more energy into it. Shuuichi stepped forward, feeling pieces of his heart fall away as he understood. This was not just the energy she had been gifted; this maelstrom of power came from her life.

She was sacrificing her life to make sure that this place would never be used like this again.

"Kimiko..."

Jin was there by his side, a hand on his shoulder. Shuuichi bowed his head a little, then stepped up to the edge of Koenma's barrier.

"If you step out there, there's not telling what-"

"I will not let her spend her life like this," Shuuichi interrupted. "Yes, defeating Toguro was necessary, but she will _die_ , and I do not intend to stand by and let that happen!"

He took another step, and was beyond the barrier.

Her emotions hit him harder, making him stagger; the self-loathing was so strong, he could hear the scream of her soul, the pain and the agony of not realizing what was going to happen when the old woman met the powerful demon. Not realizing that Genkai's life was the final catalyst to unlocking the pure potential buried deep.

It felt like trying to force his way through a windstorm. He bowed his head, shielded his eyes, and moved forward step by step. The energy washed over him like waves in the ocean that day so many months ago. He remembered her expression then, surprised and happy; he had already been half in love even then, smitten with the novelty of her and the breath of fresh air she had brought to his slow, sleepy life.

The power fluttered finally, fading bit by bit until he could see more properly where he was going. Overhead, the cavern ceiling cracked and grated, stone slowly, ponderously working its way down as it responded to the stress her attack had caused. Of the younger Toguro, the Sinning Tree he'd trapped the older one in, and the vampire plant that he'd used to kill Karasu, there was no sign.

But he saw Kimiko.

She was still in her stance when he spotted her, but as if his gaze was some sort of signal, she collapsed into a boneless heap, her life energy guttering like a candle flame in front of a fan. The ceiling groaned again, and large chunks began falling, crashing into the lake, and further obliterating the tunnel-creating equipment on the far side.

He darted over to her and scooped her up even as the stone tumbled towards her prone and dying body, then it was back out into the tunnel. Koenma stared at him in shock, and then at the young woman in his arms.

"Heal her," Shuuichi demanded.

"W-what? I can't-"

"You _owe_ her. Now _heal_ her."


	25. Twenty-four

Twenty four

"Why isn't she waking? Her body is healed..."

"Yes, and her energy is recovering, if slowly. But I can't find her soul. Without that, the body is just a body."

"...and how do you intend to fix this?"

"I have people combing the river banks. If she's there, they'll find her."

* * *

 _She could hear water flowing nearby, a steady, soothing rush that beckoned her forth. A river, she decided as she listened closely, broad, but shallow. It was probably the best landmark she was going to find, wading through all this mist._

 _If this was the land of the dead, it was honestly kind of boring. She was wrapped in a thick, deep fog, and had been ever since she'd opened her eyes in this place; only the fact that she had faintly heard the river had given her a direction to go in._

 _She trekked through the mist in silence, feeling tired, and somewhat regretful. Dying hadn't been on her list of things to do when Koenma had woken her up, but apparently it had been her time, as well as her master's._

 _The thought of Genkai's death made her heart ache, both in pain and in anger; Genkai had gone into that fight knowing she would die, knowing that her death would spur Kimiko's powers out of their confines and to far greater heights._

 _She could almost hate the old woman for that._

 _Almost._

 _"If you go any farther, you'll walk right into it," came a familiar, crabby voice. "Then there won't be much chance of you getting home at all."_

 _Kimiko stopped. Turned slowly._

 _Somehow, this empty fog had sprouted a rock, and on that rock sat Genkai._

 _"... so it's okay for you to die, but not me?"_

 _"Don't be a dimwit like your brother," Genkai advised. "It was always going to end like that, even if I wanted to pretend it wouldn't. If I had just killed him at the end of that tournament, before he'd had the chance to grow so powerful, this nonsense never would have happened. I stupidly thought that he would realize how much of a dumbass he was being, and come back to get help from me..."_

 _The old woman sighed, shaking her head._

 _"And then he never did. Typical jackass."_

 _Kimiko didn't know what to say for a moment, so instead she looked around; the gray fog hadn't lifted even slightly, but she got the sense that Genkai could see perfectly clear._

 _"...where_ are _we?"_

 _"This is a space between life and death, on the river of souls," Genkai replied. "I'm just waiting for the boat to arrive so I can go figure out where I can relax for a while. No more idiot apprentices taking up too much time, demanding training and attention."_

 _"You know you enjoyed it," Kimiko retorted, smiling a little._

 _"I admit to nothing," was the somewhat crabby response. "You're not even supposed to_ be _here, but since you are, why don't you tell me what you remember."_

 _"I..." Kimiko hesitated. "Not... not a lot. I was so focused on... just killing the younger Toguro brother I kind of lost track of everyone's fights. I... I did win? I think I Spirit Waved the cave out of existence, though..."_

 _Genkai snorted, shaking her head and smirking._

 _"That certainly would have been something to see. Wherever his soul was slated, it hasn't come here. We may still meet on the other side... But you, girl, need to head back. The longer you're outside your body, the worse it'll be."_

 _"But... Master..."_

 _"Oh, don't give me that look," Genkai said irritably. "I'm eight five years old, girl, I think I've more than earned this rest, and I'm_ not _going back just because it'll make you feel better. You're grown up, time you took over the compound and helped demons and apparitions more."_

 _"T... take over? Me?"_

 _"Well, I don't know how you'll do as a_ teacher _, but probably better than you think. So yes, girl. I left the temple and the grounds to you, so long as you keep things going as they are."_

 _Kimiko just blinked, stunned into silence. The compound was hers? But..._

 _"You can even keep the video games~"_

 _Kimiko giggled weakly, and rubbed at her eyes, trying not to cry._

 _"I'm sorry... I know... I remember what you said, I just..."_

 _"Everyone has their time," and Genkai's voice was surprisingly gentle. "You took care of the Toguros, so I have no more stupid regrets to tie me down. Well," and the old woman bared out a brief laugh, "I suppose I can get a dispensation to watch you marry your demon~"_

 _Heat rushed to Kimiko's cheeks, and Genkai snickered again._

 _"Just for that, I'm naming my first daughter after you," Kimiko retorted._

 _"I look forward to it~"_

 _Genkai smirked at her, then hopped down off the rock; Kimiko turned to see a boat making its way towards them, poled along by someone in a somber black and white kimono._

 _"My ride is here, girl. And so is yours."_

 _"But... didn't you just say...?"_

 _"_ Kimiko! _There you are!"_

 _Kimiko jumped a foot and looked up to see Botan, sitting on her oar looking very relieved. The pastel pink kimono was definitely new..._

 _"...B...Botan?"_

 _"Of course, silly! You didn't think we'd let you wander out here forever, did you? You have a very upset boyfriend who wants you back, and I'm pretty sure he'd try to eat Koenma-sama, so you hop up here, and let's get you home, okay?"_

 _"I..."_

 _She dropped to her knees, abruptly throwing her arms around her master, who appeared to have been waiting for that, because she returned the hug with one just as fierce._

 _"You go prove me right, girl, and take my teachings farther than I ever could. And marry your demon. He's good for you."_

* * *

He hadn't left her side since they'd brought her back to the apartment, other than the necessary trips to the bathroom and to eat. He sat by the bed, her hand held in both of his, and slept only a few hours at a time. Every time he woke, he hoped for some change, some difference...

But three days had passed with no change. She remained pale and still, her breathing shallow; only the barest rise and fall of her chest indicated that her body was still living.

Shuuichi hadn't been able to bring himself to call her family. Not until he knew, for certain, if she would come back, or if they would lose her. It was going to be difficult enough to say that Genkai was awaiting funeral rites, her body held preserved by Koenma's energy as they waited to see what would happen with Kimiko.

If he lost her...

Shuuichi bowed his head, pressing her fingertips to his face. He could just faintly smell the strawberry body wash, and it made his breath hitch just slightly.

He hadn't meant to fall in love. Not so hard, so deep as this. To love not just her, but the people she found herself surrounded by, to feel as though he had come home every time he was in the presence of her, of them. He hadn't set out to have her fall in love with him either, but that quick, bright friendship had blossomed into affection, and from there she had halting stumbled her way into his arms.

If he lost her, would he lose everything that had come with her?

Would it matter?

He fell to the worst case scenario; Yusuke blaming him, hating him for letting her die when he was there to be her partner, to fight at her side. Kazuma... quiet resentment, if not Yusuke's outright loathing. Keiko's grief, and Yukina's... Atsuko's, once she learned. Shizuru's anger would be as much of a burst as Yusuke's...

He closed his eyes wearily. If her soul did not return, what would happen to her body? He supposed there were hospital things he could get for a coma patient, but... first he would have to take her _to_ the hospital. To have a professional opinion, and then concoct some story...

He didn't notice at first, the faintly golden glow that was rising up her arm. Hiei had often said he could get lost in his own brain, and this was one of the rare times it was happening. But he _did_ sense Koenma as he simply appeared in the apartment, not bothering with the front door.

"We found her," he said. "She was waiting on the bank and talking to Genkai."

Shuuichi sat bolt upright, almost dropping Kimiko's hand in the process.

"Where is she now?"

Koenma pointed wordlessly, and Shuuichi turned, realizing that the light in the room was being augmented by the glow that suffused Kimiko.

"She's waiting," he replied.

He needed no prompting; Shuuichi leaned over, and lightly pressed his mouth to Kimiko's. He pulled away after a moment, and lightly stroked her face.

"Please come back to me," he breathed.

The glow faded, then died away completely.

They waited in tense silence as Kimiko's breathing deepened, and her eyelids fluttered. Shuuichi watched her face intently, willing her to wake up, _needing_ her to wake up.

She rolled onto her side, and groaned a little, slowly pushing herself up on one arm.

"...Did I fall off a truck?"

"Nothing so dramatic," he said softly, reaching out and cupping her face lightly.

"I'd say far _more_ dramatic myself," Koenma replied, relief in his tone. "Talk about _luck._ "

She sat up the rest of the way, slowly, then lifted her hands and rubbed at her face.

"I'll give you a better debriefing once you've finished waking up. Come by the store in a few hours if you're up for it," Koenma said, then winked out of existence, making Kimiko start in surprise.

"...when did he learn to do _that_ , and why didn't he do it at New Years?" she asked.

"I believe he was much to frightened at New Years to properly teleport," Shuuichi said, moving from his chair to perch with her on the bed. He wanted, _needed_ to hold her... but he didn't want to scare her. "Kimiko..."

She pushed back the blankets, and turned to climb into his lap. Her arms went around his shoulders, fingers wrapping in his shirt, her legs around his waist, and she pressed her face against his neck. It surprised him, but he wrapped her up in an embrace of his own, pressing his cheek into her hair and holding her tightly against his chest. He could feel her heart beating, but that wasn't half as comforting as feeling the strength of her grip.

"Please don't ever scare me like that again," he said softly.

She just nodded silently, and as he'd half-expected, it didn't take her long to start crying. He did too, as much from relief as sharing in her grief at the loss of Master Genkai.

* * *

"...Shuuichi?"

"Hm?"

"I don't want to talk to Koenma today..."

His hands flexed lightly on her back, and she felt more than saw him nod.

"You don't have to. You can just continue to rest."

She shook her head a little. Oh her head _ached_ from all that crying, but she didn't want to try and sleep.

"Don't want to do that either..."

"Then what would you like to do?"

"Be... be normal for a little bit," she said falteringly. "Go... shopping for food, and maybe for clothes, go... go out on a date afternoon... I want to visit my brother and see my niece, and not... not have to _think_ for a little bit."

He shifted a little, and kissed her temple.

"I believe we could do all of that," he said, and she could hear the warmth in his voice. "You have more than earned it. We could even combine a good deal of that... catch the train to see your family, and then do all the necessary shopping there. Would you like that?"

"...you just wanna see Shizuru turn me into a dress up doll," she grumbled half-heartedly.

He kissed her again, softly, and she felt his smile.

"Perhaps," Shuuichi agreed. "Perhaps."

Despite saying it, it still took Kimiko several more minutes to actually start disengaging from the clinging hold she had on him. There was immediate comfort found in his arms, and really, she could have stayed there all day... But after three days of unconsciousness, she needed a bath, and to wash her hair. New clothes wouldn't go amiss either.

He seemed just as reluctant to let go as she was; only when she brought her arms down against his chest did his own grip loosen, and she could _feel_ his unwillingness to let her go.

"Shuu?"

"Hmm..?"

She felt heat flare up in her cheeks. Silly to be embarrassed, and yet...

"Would you... like to take a bath with me?"

There was a heartbeat's worth of silence. Two. Three.

Then he kissed her lightly.

"Yes."

She unwound from him fully then, and he helped her to stand; She was stiff after three days of unconsciousness and his hands on her elbows helped to keep her from tripping over her feet _too_ much.

When they made it to the bathroom, she stopped short in surprise, then reached up and curiously prodded at the glimmering golden strands that wound their way through the black.

"What the hell?"

Shuuichi only offered a mild shrug.

"When you released the spirit cuffs, they appeared," he said after a moment as she started undoing her braid, pulling it over her shoulder to get a better look at the way the gold simply shot through her hair. "I would hazard that they simply signify this new level of power you hold."

"That's... weird. _Really_ weird. Like something straight out of an anime."

"Well," and he smiled a little, "sometimes they're not wrong."

Curious, she tugged at the hair, separating out the golden strands. It wasn't anything like a natural blonde color, this was true metallic gold... with the flexibility of hair.

"...I wonder if I could dye it?"

"Somehow, I expect the dye simply would not take."

After a moment Kimiko sighed in agreement, and shook her head a little.

"This is too weird..."

Shuuichi chuckled a little, and lightly ran his fingers through her hair, making her shiver a little.

"I think it's quite lovely. At least you know you won't be in trouble with an employer over it."

"...that is true..."

And it really was... interesting. She'd gotten used to the purple eyes after a while, so surely she could get used to this too. It wasn't like she looked in a mirror all that often anyways.

After a moment Kimiko shook her head a little, and turned to strip out of her pajamas.

The clothes went into the hamper, and she moved into the room with the tub so she could scrub everything before actually starting the water to soak in. She liked Shuuichi's bathroom; it was big enough that she didn't feel cramped, and it was free. Much better than having to soak with other people in a bathhouse, especially after an adventure like this one.

Curious, she examined herself as best she could before turning to start the shower; now new scars decorated her body, though she was willing to swear that she'd taken more than a few hits that should have left them.

After a moment she shrugged and sat down under the stream of hot water to let it soak into her hair, closing her eyes and tipping her head back in an effort to relax. She heard Shuuichi come in, but wasn't even tempted to peek, and just felt the general air of faint anxiety drifting away the moment the door closed behind him.

The kiss he pressed on her after a moment wasn't even remotely surprising.

* * *

Kimiko rested her head against his shoulder, almost too worn out to even want to move. The initial plan of washing up to go out seemed almost pointless now; Shuuichi had managed to work out most of the energy she'd regained in sating he needs.

She didn't actually mind too much, though. Post-coital cuddling had become something of a favorite with her, and just running her hands through the tangled, still damp red strands of his hair was soothing.

But it wasn't an entirely comfortable position to maintain for very long, once the sex was done, and so with reluctance she moved, pulling away just enough so that she could shift to a position that didn't make her legs hurt quite as much. Shuuichi resisted for a moment, before seeming to realize she wasn't moving off his lap, just... shifting to be more comfortable.

"...are you awake enough to continue washing up?" he asked after a moment, once she'd resettled herself.

"Maybe. But this is nice too..."

Well, it was mostly nice; once the sweat started to dry, she'd start to feel more chilly and then it wouldn't be half as comfortable, even being cuddled as she was.

After a moment where she just let herself lay in his hold, he leaned forward, and turned on the shower again. She squeaked—the water always started out as _so_ damn cold—and made a faintly complaining sound, which only elicited a chuckle from him.

"I know, but... it would be a good idea," he said, gently prodding her. "I'll help with your hair and wash your back if you'll do the same?"

She snugged into his hold, then sighed a little and nodded. It probably _was_ for the best that they at least try to clean up before seeking a nap. Or some tea. Whichever idea was more appealing by the time they got out.

Reluctantly, Kimiko moved to get up, and wobbled a little, blushing as Shuuichi helped to steady her. He really did look rather smug... but it also seemed to have helped smooth some of the jagged edges he'd had, and that had been the whole point. She could put up with being a bit sore and wobbly to have him calm again.

As the water warmed, she moved the soaked towels off to the side, hanging them up in a vain effort to dry them, then carefully nudged the stool until it was sitting under the stream of water.

"You first," she said firmly.

Obligingly—and with a wince for what she suspected was numb legs—he moved to the stool and sat down. The water ran over his crimson hair, quickly saturating it, and she gathered up the damp strands so that she could run the shampoo through it. Hesitantly she touched his back, where her fingers had dug in; she didn't have nails just on principle, but that didn't mean he was unmarked.

"Mmn?"

"Ah... I... scratched you," she said sheepishly. "Would you like me to-"

"It's all right," he interrupted gently, tipping his head back a little so that he could look at her. "I don't mind them, as long as they're not bleeding heavily..."

She took another glance, feeling rather embarrassed now; they all looked fairly shallow, and it was hard to tell if any of them were bleeding or not... After a moment she sighed and kissed his forehead lightly.

"There are days where I can't tell if you're a sadist or a masochist," she muttered. "Good thing I love you too much to care."

He laughed softly as she just shook her head and gently started washing his back.

* * *

Playing with her hair was almost as relaxing as playing with her body had been; the golden strands glimmered between his fingers, not quite _glowing_ , but not far from it, and she seemed inclined to lean into his touch. Whether it was because of love, relaxation, or some combination of both, he wasn't really inclined to care.

He started the tub filling while she finished up the rest of her personal grooming, watching carefully out of the corner of one eye to make sure she didn't overbalance. But it seemed the abundance of energy that had been Genkai's last gift to her student was working as it ought to... and slightly as it shouldn't, since he'd wanted a few of those hickeys to last more then a few minutes. Even as he watched, some of the bruises faded out, and he stifled a faint sigh.

Of course he could always replace them, but it might have been quite amusing to hear Kimiko's stammered explanation for them.

She glanced up, and caught him staring, then grinned a little.

"Yours are disappearing too," she pointed out. "The bite marks, anyways. I know I got you pretty hard on that shoulder..."

He glanced down and saw that she was correct; the bite had actually broken the skin, but now it was barely a shadow of a bruise. After a moment Shuuichi smiled ruefully.

"If nothing else, it does seem this energy of ours prevents awkward questions."

It was Kimiko's turn to laugh a little, shaking her head as she ducked under the shower again to rinse off the last of the soap and conditioner. He couldn't help but admire the way she slicked back her hair, the way the water glistened on her skin...

She slanted him another wry look, and he could only smile back, knowing full well that his body was working to produce the proper salute just from seeing her like that. Alive.

Instead, he carefully wound his hair up into a towel, then climbed into the tub, making himself comfortable. He wasn't too surprised to watch her wring out as much water from her own hair as she could, then braid it up and coil it around her head in her typical fighting style before she came to join him.

The tub was _just_ big enough to hold the two of them if they sat upright side by side, or they both laid at an angle, snuggled close. Choosing the later option had seemed easier, and he steadied Kimiko as she climbed in, and curled up beside him after she turned off the water. Her head on his shoulder let him breath in the faint scent of her conditioner and bodywash if he turned his head just slightly, and her arms draped around him went far towards continuing to ease his mind.

He admittedly didn't have anything funny in mind when his fingers curved around her hip. He just wanted, needed, to hold her.

"...Kimiko?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you still like to go and visit your family?"

She yawned a little, and snuggled her head down more firmly against his shoulder.

"Maybe..." but her voice was drowsy. "If nothing else, I ought to call Yuu and apologize for being MIA for three days... I don't..." her voice faltered, and he felt a shiver run though her that was grief more than anything else. "I don't want to tell him what happened over the phone though. That... that needs to be a face to face conversation. With all of them."

Gently he stroked her cheek, but it seemed either the tears were all spent, or she was just too tired to shed any more. He kissed her forehead, and that seemed to soothe her so that the building tension leaked away.

"...let's have a nap first," she said, stifling a yawn. "And see how we feel after waking up."

"That sounds like an excellent plan."

* * *

 _Smut version over on AO3_


	26. Twenty-five

Twenty five

In the end, plans didn't quite matter; it felt rather like they had only just managed to lay down in bed, curled comfortably together, when someone pounded at the door. Kimiko muttered a faint curse and pressed her face a bit more against Shuuichi's chest, heavily disinclined to move. The thumping repeated, and there was a raised voice that was... familiar...

She grumbled again and sent out a sleepy tendril of energy to see who it was so she knew who to yell at later, then practically popped upright when she recognized the sparks of her brother.

"...so much for rest," Shuuichi said, sighing a little and sitting up at well.

"What the hell is he... are _they_ ," she amended, now recognizing more than one energy signature, "doing here?!"

"Concern, perhaps?" he offered, gently nudging her aside so that he could start getting dressed. "We should hurry before your brother tries to pick the lock."

Knowing Yusuke, that was probably what he would do sooner rather than later, so Kimiko quickly scampered into her room, throwing her pajamas on the bed and grabbing the first outfit from her dresser that seemed sensible.

She didn't _hear_ Shuuichi cross the room, but the sound of the door opening was unmistakable.

"Jeez, sure took you long enough!" Yusuke crabbed. "It's still cold as shit out here!"

"We weren't precisely expecting visitors," was the dry response.

"Is everything all right?" Shizuru asked.

"Yeah, man, you just kind of dropped of the radar there..." Kazuma added.

"It's... been a trying few days," Shuuichi replied. "Please, come in."

"Sorry to intrude," Keiko said, sounding somewhere between worn and sheepish.

Kimiko quickly checked her hair—the braid was messy, but it would do—then stepped into the living room as her friends all trooped inside; Shuuichi moved to the kitchen to start some tea, and everyone else flopped down in various spots in the living room.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Kimiko asked, raising an eyebrow at Keiko.

"Aren't _you_ supposed to inform people before you drop off the face of the earth?" Yusuke retorted before Keiko could say anything. "Damnit, Sis, you tell us you're going to save the world, and then don't pick up your phone for three days?! And what the hell is up with your hair?"

"...actually, the phone broke in the fight," Shuuichi offered as Kimiko just blinked at her annoyed brother. "And there have been... other concerns."

This didn't placate Yusuke much, and after a moment, Kimiko sighed. She didn't really have the energy to deal with his temper, even though she couldn't help but acknowledge that seeing him, all of them, was comforting.

"Yuu, turn down the attitude for a bit, will you?" she asked tiredly. "I've been... asleep the past three days. It's not like it was an _easy_ fight..." Then she blinked, and frowned at Shuuichi's back. "Wait, it broke? Damnit, I've managed to keep that phone for eight months and it _broke?_ "

"Yes," he smiled ruefully, bringing over a tray of cups that steamed gently, and passed them around. "You left your jacket on..."

"Damnit... I was actually starting to like that phone too..."

"Okay, so tell us about the fight," Yusuke demanded.

"Yusuke," Keiko scolded. "Maybe give her a chance to sit down first? Or even meet her niece, which was the _other_ reason we came by?"

Kimiko blinked a little ass Yusuke settled back with a grumble, only just noticing the carry seat on the couch, and the large diaper bag hidden just beneath the coffee table.

"You brought her?" she asked softly.

"We thought you might like to say hi," Shizuru said with a small smile. "Y'know, save the world, meet new tiny member of the family that was part of why."

Keiko smiled encouragingly, and Kimiko approached hesitantly.

"Did you decide on a name?"

"Mmhm. Sayaka, after my grandmother," Keiko said, gently picking up the small bundle.

The baby girl had been bundled up quite thoroughly against the outside temperatures, but Keiko gently pulled off the hat and unwrapped the blanket, revealing the same sort of squashed features all newborns had, topped by a tuft of wispy hair that was the same deep black as Yusuke's. As if sensing she was being watched, the baby blinked open brown eyes and stared back at Kimiko, then yawned.

"...hey there little one," Kimiko said softly, feeling almost shy.

"Do you want to hold her?" Keiko asked, shifting to offer the bundle of baby to her.

Kimiko immediately held up her hands, backing away and almost running into Shuuichi who chuckled and caught her by the elbows to keep her from falling over. Nor was he the only one who was amused; Shizuru was grinning, and Kazuma snickered a little, though he tried to turn it into a cough when he caught her glaring.

"Nope. That's _much_ to small for a person to be."

Now Yusuke snickered.

"It's not _that_ hard, Sis," he said, clearly gently mocking her aversion. "S'a matter, you fight so many big things you're scared of a tiny?"

"You're not to big for me to find a river to throw you in Yuu," she shot back. "I'm good, thanks."

"May I?" Shuuichi asked.

"Sure."

He slid by Kimiko and went to sit next to Keiko, who instructed him on the proper way to hold a newborn. Yusuke grinned and offered a smart comment that got him elbowed by Keiko, but Kimiko was paying more attention to her lover. Holding Sayaka he looked... almost more at peace than she'd ever seen him except in sleep. Unconsciously her hands crept over her stomach, but after a moment she gave herself a mental shake; it was still much too soon to think about that. There was too much else to think of first.

Instead, ignoring the knowing glance Shizuru was tossing at her, she went and perched carefully on the arm of the couch next to him, and smiled down at the baby... who had decided that it seemed the perfect time to go back to sleep.

"Guess we're not very interesting," Kimiko said with a grin, leaning lightly on Shuiichi's shoulder.

"She's mostly just going to go through cycles of eat, shit, sleep for a few months," Yusuke said, making a face. "Kid's got some lungs on her... 2am feeding time is no joke."

"He's right," Keiko giggled, accepting Sayaka back from Shuuichi. "Mom and Dad dote on her already, though. It's going to take some work to keep her from being too spoiled."

"Especially with the aunts and uncles she has," Shuuichi offered with a faint chuckle, making a light gesture to take in the gathered adults.

Kimiko pushed him gently, then squeaked when he moved just enough to overbalance her into his lap. That made the rest of them laugh even as she lightly punched him in the shoulder, blushing. Clearly unrepentant, he smiled down at her and comfortably wrapped his arms around her waist. Kimiko huffed at him after a moment, then leaned her head on his shoulder.

"...y'know, I'd have thought Granny would be here making sure you were okay if that fight put you out for three days," Yusuke said after a moment. "I mean, weren't you kind of her pet project?"

Kimiko bowed her head slightly, then let out a slow breath.

"Let's start from the beginning, then..."

* * *

The silence at the end of the explanation was so complete that the outside noise was able to filter in unhindered. Shuuichi could hear the customers in the shop below as Kokoda and the other workers filled orders and greeted people with politeness. A faint shout from farther outside sounded like someone warning someone else, and of course the cars passing by on the streets below were not silent.

Kimiko was still in his hold, tension rippling through her frame as she waited, he knew, to be condemned for what she couldn't do. Convincing her that it wasn't her fault was going to be a long, uphill battle...

"Well...shit," Yusuke finally said. "I didn't think there was anyone that could hurt that old bat, but..."

Words failed him after a moment and he leaned back on the couch, plainly stunned. Keiko remained silent, simply staring at them both even as she leaned on Yusuke. Whether seeking comfort or giving it, Shuuichi couldn't tell... Both, though, seemed quite plausible.

"You did everything you could," Shizuru said abruptly, leaning around her equally stunned brother so that she could look directly at Kimiko and Shuuichi by extension. "No one here blames you, kiddo. We're all glad you made it out alive."

"What's... gonna happen to that compound up there?" Kazuma asked cautiously.

"We'll have to read Master Genkai's will after..." Kimiko's voice faltered, and Shuuichi briefly tightened his hold on her. "After the funeral. B-but... knowing her.."

"I don't think things will change too much," Shuuichi said as Kimiko fumbled. "Master Genkai seems the sort of have planned for this sort of eventuality. That she fell in battle, instead of passing in her sleep, doesn't change things."

Yusuke, peering around his wife, finally seemed to recognize that Kimiko was hurting far more than she was openly showing. He quickly switched places with Keiko, so he could put a hand over one of his sister's.

"Hey. C'mon Sis, no one's mad at _you_ ," he said, his usual abrasive tone far gentler than normal. "Shit happens. You had no way of knowing that it'd come out like this."

Shuuichi felt Kimiko's breath hitch, and loosened his grasp on her; this was a time where she needed her brother much more, and he could not begrudge that familial affection. Sure enough, Kimiko flung her arms around Yusuke's shoulders and hung on.

In an effort to give them space, Shuuichi quietly gathered up the teacups and motioned for the others to follow him into the kitchen area. It wasn't out of sight, but it could at least grant the illusion of privacy.

Shizuru was the first to sit down at the kitchen table, and Kazuma claimed the other chair after Keiko declined. The brunette instead elected to rock Sayaka on her shoulder, smiling a little in the direction of the twins.

"He's such a dip when it comes to feelings most of the time," Kazuma said, glancing over as well, and keeping his voice low. "He's only touchy-feely with Keiko and Kimiko."

"Up until I met them in primary school, they were all each other had," Keiko replied, her voice soft and warm. "And when he got into fights, she always tried to fix things." After a moment she giggled, "Even when some of those fights were because other kids were picking on her. I mean, she was never a pushover, she'd kick other kids in the shins if she had to, but she's definitely always been the fixer. Someone that never gave up on him, even when he kind of gave up on himself."

"And there are some hurts that only family can help with," Shuuichi said with a faint, sad smile. "This is going to be a hard band of grief for her..."

"She's known Genkai for over ten years," Shizuru said quietly, leaning back in her chair. "I'm amazed she actually told that part without bursting into tears."

"She did this morning, after she woke up," Shuuichi replied, setting out a small plate of snacks. "We had planned, actually, to come visit you... I was hoping to give her a chance to recover a bit more first."

It might have been a bit selfish of him to want to try and talk her into waiting a few days, but it had become a moot point. Perhaps it truly was better this way. The telling had seemed easier on her, for the most part, other than this particular moment.

"So, uh... what's gonna happen to this Bui guy?" Kazuma asked. "And where's pint-size?"

"I'm not sure. Jin and Toya took him back to the mountain, and I suspect they argued about dropping him down a deep pit for a while. As for Hiei," Shuuichi shrugged. "At the moment, he's keeping his distance. He may check in once he's sure she's survived. He's a bit funny like that."

"You think she'll accept help in making funeral preparations?" Shizuru asked quietly, nodding lightly over towards Kimiko.

"It may be that Koenma has everything arranged already," Shuuichi replied, sighing a little. "But she's really in no shape to talk about such things right now. What she needs most is more rest and a chance for this pain to heal."

* * *

Keiko did, eventually, manage to coax Kimiko into holding Sayaka, and then teasingly made her and Shuuichi hold still until she could take their picture. Given the way Kimiko became entranced with the small fist that wrapped around one finger, it wasn't hard to do. Shuuichi had to smile at her expression; someday, perhaps, they would have their own children to care for...

But there were several loose threads to tie up first, not the least of which being what precisely _was_ going to happen to that compound. It was certainly logical that Genkai would leave it to Kimiko, if not the whole small group to do with as they pleased... but what would they do with it then?

Sayaka was returned to Keiko with haste when the baby began wailing, prompting Yusuke to tease his sister, and get hit for his smart comment. After Keiko first changed, then fed Sayaka, the group said their goodbyes and headed out to go back home.

Stifling a yawn, Kimiko came into the kitchen to help him clean up, and they spent several minutes in comfortable silence, washing and drying dishes.

"It figured Yuu would wreck my plans," she said as she carefully stacked the used cups int the drying rack. "He's good at that..."

Shuuichi smiled, and leaned over to kiss her temple.

"It helped you to see him though, didn't it?"

"...yeah. But he could have called you instead of me."

"He... might have," Shuuichi rubbed the back of his neck a bit sheepishly. "I have not necessarily been paying attention to my phone, however... I believe it's actually dead at the moment."

She blinked up at him, then giggled a little, shaking her head slightly.

"In any case, it's not me he wanted to check on, it was you," Shuuichi continued. "I'm not certain that calling my phone would have been his top priority, or that hearing what I had to say would have put his mind any more at ease than coming to see you did."

"...I suppose..."

"Did you want to try and return to our nap, or would you like to go out now? I seem to have missed my opportunity to let Shizuru dress you up, sadly..."

She snorted a little, and lightly smacked him with the dish towel, a faint blush coating her cheeks. He couldn't help but chuckle and gave her another kiss, curling his arm around her shoulders in a loose hug. Keeping her close eased his mind considerably...

"...it's almost three now," she said, glancing at the clock, even as she leaned into his hold. "I suppose we'll have to shelve the nap if we want to do the shopping... mn... I need to check at an ATM how much I have, too. I don't want to spend _too_ much."

"A sensible precaution," he nodded a little, shifting so that he could loosely wrap his other arm around her waist. She leaned into the hug automatically, and her own arms draped around his waist loosely as she snuggled her head against his chest. "I have a particular purchase I'd like to make... if you'd care to accompany me?"

She blinked and looked up at him, curiosity in her eyes. After a moment, he smiled fondly at her, and kissed the tip of her nose, making her blush.

"You're _plotting_ again, aren't you?" she asked.

"Perhaps. If you ask Hiei, it would seem that I always am."

Kimiko scoffed a little, and gave him a very gentle shove.

"Let me fix my hair, and then we can go, okay? And you should probably check in with Kokoda-kun too, all things considered."

"...you are, perhaps, correct," and he sighed, releasing her with unfeigned reluctance. "I shall meet you downstairs, then?"

She leaned up and kissed him quickly, then nodded.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Fixing her hair took less time than she expected; while the braid had _looked_ fairly tatty, it actually hadn't been that badly tangled, so she was able to gather up the rest of her stuff—sighing again over the loss of the phone—in short order before she walked out the door, locking it behind her.

"So. You're not dead."

For once, she didn't jump, only looked over at Hiei and gave him a dry smile.

"Nope."

"Hmph. Good. It would have been a pain to deal with the aftermath of that."

She chuckled a little.

"Thanks for worrying, Hiei. I think."

He looked away, feigning indifference to hide embarrassment.

"I wasn't worried," he said shortly.

"Riiiiight. You're okay then? No lingering after effects of that.. dragon thing?"

"The dragon is part of me now," and his tone was smug. "I own that power. It can't hurt me."

Kimiko just shook her head lightly; clearly the fight hadn't changed him too much. But then, why would it? Of all of them, he was the least connected to this world.

"What're you going to do now?" she asked after a minute as she started down the stairs.

He slid easily down the railing, keeping up, and she almost wished he'd trip, just because it would have been funny.

"I haven't decided yet. Maybe I'll go challenge one of the Kings of Demon World."

"...don't commit suicide, okay? I'd hate to tell Yukina that her brother got killed because he was a hot-headed idiot."

"So that would be a 'no' on asking Kurama to come with me."

She slanted him a glance, not sure if he was joking or serious. With his deadpan expression, it was hard to tell.

"...that's up to Shuuichi," she finally said. "But ask him another day, because we're going to run errands. Unless you mean to tag along?"

"Pass."

He was gone before she'd cleared the end of the alley, and she shook her head in bemusement. Of all the demons she'd ever met, he was still one of the strangest.

Shuuichi and Kokoda had their heads bent over something when she walked into the store itself, so she kept her distance to avoid interrupting them.

"Welcome, can I help you?" one of the teenager clerks asked.

"No, thank you, I'm just waiting for Shuuichi to finish talking with his brother," Kimiko replied with a faint smile. "It's warmer in here than it is outside."

The teenager looked briefly disappointed, then nodded and left her alone to tend someone else who had just walked in.

Having never actually been inside the store itself, Kimiko looked around curiously, relaxing a little at the sight of so much green. She hadn't been inside the greenhouse for ages, it felt, and while this was much noisier with all the people in it, it was comfortable too. It was a helpful reminder that not everything would remain bleak and gray. Soon, spring would arrive, and with it, color.

Abruptly reminded that Genkai would not be seeing it this year, she bowed her head and took in a few deep breathes; her master would only be annoyed if she kept crying about it, and really, her eyes hurt enough as it was.

A hand caught hers up, squeezing gently, and she glanced up into Shuuichi's sympathetic expression.

"My apologies. Kokoda wanted me to, ah... speak to our 'supplier' about several new batches of flowers, as we do appear to be running low," he said. "He also says that he hopes you continue to feel better... mostly so that I can take some days to run the store. I believe he's feeling a bit overwhelmed."

She managed a smile for him, and nodded.

"It's okay. Let's go find an ATM?"

"Of course."

* * *

Kimiko, he discovered, was definitely not a person who shopped for outfits. She confined her selections entirely to leggings and tank tops, mostly in neutral colors, completely bypassing everything else. It shouldn't have been surprising, but it somehow was.

So he decided to take it upon himself to coax her into trying on other things. A long sweater here, a knee-length skirt there. A jumper that reminded him of the one she'd worn at Christmas, just in greens and blues. She didn't protest much—she actually seemed resigned to the suggestions—though she inevitably found one reason or another to justify putting them back.

He simply went and retrieved some of them, not to add to what she was buying, but to buy as gifts. The long sweaters looked very nice on her, actually, though he could understand her aversion to skirts. The jumper, unfortunately, did not come in the proper size. The jumpsuit was a lucky find, and she actually liked it enough to add to her own purchases, albeit only the one. As a sort of insurance, he found two more in different colors, quietly adding them to his own purchases.

She didn't _say_ anything when they both walked out of the store carrying bags, but she did give him a wry, sidelong look.

"Did you find your particular purchase?" she asked dryly.

"Not as such," he replied with a fond smile at her. "But that wasn't quite the store to find it."

"You're making me even more curious, you know."

Shuuichi chuckled, and winked at her playfully.

"That is, of course, part of the fun."

"My hands are full, I can't smack you. C'mere so I can kick you."

She was grinning, though, and while he did move closer, it was only to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

"We will need free hands for the next task, so let's drop these off at home, and then I have a specific shop I wish to take you to."

" _So_ curious."

* * *

The shop was a small one, tucked along an alleyway with only a small sign to indicate there was even a store there. It was off most main thoroughfares, and getting to it had been a convoluted path of alleys and back streets. Shuuichi, though, had seemed to know precisely where he was going.

"This is the person I brought the beacon enchantment from," he said as they headed down the stairs. "They also do more mundane items that pay most of their bills. Enchantments are extra."

The shop _glittered_. Kimiko had to stop and shield her eyes for a moment it was so bright. When she could see again she couldn't help but stare; hundreds of crystals in various cuts and hues hung from fishing line some plainly not for sale as they were in front of ceiling lights, casting darts of color across the floor, others hanging from wooden racks that had lights positioned near them. Wind chimes made delicate warbling sounds as the air from outside stirred through them, and there were at _least_ four fountains that spouted water and she was willing to swear one boasted live fish.

"...it _is_ a bit overwhelming," he said apologetically. "They are very... fond of things that glitter."

"Ohohoh, I know that voice~ Yoko's come to visit!"

The person that bounced around the counter was _festooned_ with sequins, a veritable rainbow jumpsuit that reminded Kimiko heavily of the Rainbow Cyclone technique of Suzuki's. Dozens of bangles decorated their arms and ankles, chains of various sizes and metals hung around their neck. She couldn't say what color their hair was, as it their head was mostly wrapped in what looked to be an elaborate turban, also festooned with things that sparkled and glittered. They looked to be just over four and a half-feet, and cheerfully glommed onto Shuuichi's waist, grinning up at him in abject adulation.

"...Tooril, as I've explained, my name in this form is Shuuichi," he said patiently, very gently prying their arms apart. "I brought someone to meet you."

Tooril turned and Kimiko blinked; pale, pale gray eyes looked her up and down, suddenly very old despite the young appearance. After a moment, they nodded, and she squeaked to find herself on the receiving end of that hug.

"Hi! I'm Tooril!" they said cheerfully. "You're pretty!"

"Ah... Thank you?" Kimiko replied uncertainly, looking a bit helplessly at Shuuichi. "I'm Kimiko... it's nice to meet you."

Shuuichi, for his part, had a hand up and looked like he was having a hard time stifling laughter. Kicking him was starting to seem like a palatable idea, really...

"Ooooh, _you're_ Yoko's pretty lady! Do you like the enchantment? It's useful, huh? Not very sparkly, but he said you weren't too into glittery, so I made it nice and subtle! I can make it more sparkly if you want me to update it, I'm sure I have lots of pretty sparkles for you to choose from!"

Tooril released Kimiko abruptly and darted behind the counter, and seemed to quickly be going through some boxes, leaving Kimiko staring after in absolute bewilderment. This... being was definitely a demon, but she had never met one quite so hyperactive before. Or so inclined to stand out. Suzuki could be _flamboyant_ , but he also preferred to live with other demons on the mountain, not... like this.

"Tooril is a bit like Hiei," Shuuichi said, amusement thick in his voice. "Something of an acquired taste."

"...I am going to smack you," Kimiko muttered, giving her lover a sour look.

He chuckled and leaned over to kiss her temple lightly.

"Tooril, as lovely as your work is, I'm actually here about that item we discussed on my last visit," he said. "Did you ever get around to making it?"

"Oh? Oh! Yes, yes, I remember~" Tooril's head came up from their boxes, and they scampered off, reappearing after only a few moments with a thin wooden box that looked like it could hold a necklace. "You wanted it so plain..."

"Unfortunately, Tooril, I cannot always afford your most glittery things," he said with a wry smile. "Simple suits both my budget, and the person I am getting things for."

Tooril just sighed and seemed disappointed, even as they handed the slender box to the redhead.

"Much more fun as Yoko. Yoko _loved_ shiny things."

"Different lives create different priorities, Tooril," Shuuichi replied. "How much?"

"No charge, no charge! Yoko was always good to Tooril, Tooril will be good to Yoko~"

Tooril beamed, and Shuuichi sighed, seeming resigned to this.

"One of these days I will get you to take payment," he said.

Despite confusion, Kimiko had to giggle. Tooril did too, waving cheerfully at them as they left the shop.

"Okay, I'm both intensely curious and also not sure I want to know, but what on _earth_ was that about?" Kimiko asked once they were back on the street.

"Tooril... worked for me in the past," Shuuichi said after a moment. "Rather, I pulled them out of a failed heist of their own, effectively saving them, and they have been quite loyal to me ever since. Of my prior allies, only Tooril and Hiei have ever sought me out. While they are _quite_ eccentric, Tooril is mostly harmless... and an extreme hoarder of all things that glitter."

"...no kidding."

"I have worked with them in the past for special gifts... when my mother remarried, for example, I asked Tooril for the rings. Or, as you know, the beacons we wear."

"And that?" Kimiko asked, pointing at the box he held gently.

"And this," he said with a faint smile. "Though you must wait a few more moments to find out what it is."

" _Now_ you're just being _mean_."

He laughed softly, and gave her a quick kiss.

* * *

Perfection, he'd come to realize, was an impossible goal to reach. Sometimes even just 'good enough' was hard to find, and so he had spent quite some time thinking about where he might do this. Doing things publicly seemed like asking for more attention than he really wanted, or she was comfortable with,but in the apartment seemed almost... too informal.

He could practically _feel_ her bursting with curiosity as he led her to the park where he'd witnessed first hand how efficiently ruthless she could be, and also how... vulnerable. The jogging woman he'd built up questions around had never quite been normal, even then, but Shuuichi had to admit that he hadn't realized just how 'not normal' her life was.

Cold or not, there were still people here; other couples, families with children, bikers and joggers. It was perhaps as close to a calm, 'normal' setting as he could find, and when he settled on the bench, she snuggled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Quietly, they watched the world go by, before he gently slid the thin box into her lap.

"I though my life was well ordered," he said when she looked at the box, then up at him curiously. "I had my degree, and the store was well off, if a bit too crowded sometimes. My mother was happy, and even though I could not entirely assuage my curiosity about a young woman who went jogging past the store, I also wasn't too worried about it. It was very different from my life as Kurama, and I was happy to keep it that way."

He glanced down at her; those purple eyes were locked onto his face, and he couldn't help but smile at the wealth of emotion he saw there; curiosity more prominent, but also affection, love, and the shadow of grief that would take a long time to pass.

"You quite literally fell into my life, and that order mostly went out the window," and he chuckled a little, gently booping the end of her nose, just to make her squeak. "You brought in spontaneity, a somewhat haphazard randomness that altered things for the better. I find myself quite a bit happier now than I have been in the past several years, being dragged along into your adventures."

Now she blushed, ducking her head a little even as she smiled. He kissed her forehead, and briefly tugged her closer.

"Even when I tried to plan for what you _might_ do, you somehow always managed to surprise me and make things go just a little faster." He chuckled a little; now she looked embarrassed. "So I think perhaps this time instead of waiting for the right moment, I shall simply ask. Kimiko... will you marry me?"

He reached down and flipped open the small box in her lap, revealing a ring of yellow and rose gold. The rose gold, properly enough, was shaped like a rose, with a lavender stone nestled at the heart of the blossom, while the yellow gold leaves were studded with emeralds. The band twined the two colors together, and there was a woven gold chain to go with it.

"...it's beautiful," she said softly. Then looked up at him, her eyes wide. "You had this made for me?"

He nodded.

"In truth, I only asked if it was possible to make something like this when I inquired about the beacon spell. I didn't want to jeopardize anything by expecting things would turn out the way they have," he smiled ruefully. "Though I will not lie, even then I was hoping they would. You are a gift, Kimiko, one I would like to always have with me..."

Shuuichi had planned to say more, to explain that he didn't expect her to answer right away, but she leaned up and kissed him, depriving him of that chance. Something settled in him, the fear that she might not feel as strongly as he did, or that he might scare her away with the question faded as he kissed back, tucking his arms around her more firmly.

It was hard to keep those nebulous thoughts, after all, when the one he had worried about was quite clearly enthused.

"You're such a worrier," she teased gently, once she'd pulled back. "Silly. Of course I'll marry you! I wouldn't have it any other way."


	27. Twenty six

Twenty six

Genkai's funeral was set for the following week, up at the compound, and the crowd that attended far exceeded what Kimiko had expected. Other former students made their appearances, as well as most of the demons who'd encountered the old woman. Word had spread among the hunters that the old master was dead... and some came only to see what her heir looked like.

It was hard. Koenma had arranged everything, but even just being there was hard; officially, Genkai had no family, but the people that gathered for the funeral, those who had met and loved the cantankerous old woman who had trained and loved them in her own rough ways had all been adopted by, or had adopted her of their own free will.

Kimiko managed to keep her composure during the reading of the sutra, and the new, lengthy name Genkai was given posthumously to prevent her soul from wandering back due to old superstitions. She accepted condolences with as much grace as she could, and did not rise to any challenges that those who were suspicious deigned to offer.

...actually, most of those were dealt with even before they made it close _to_ her, either by Yusuke, Kuwabara, or Chu, those three being the most intimidating.

The will reading that followed while the old woman was being cremated confirmed what Kimiko remembered; the compound and the grounds were left to her, to do with as she pleased, as were all the possessions within, and what money Genkai had laid claim to. Not an insubstantial amount, all things considered, but that had never been the important part.

It felt like forever after the urn with Genkai's ashes and bone were brought back to the compound, before people finally left. The urn was interred beneath the gave Koenma had arranged there at Kimiko's request; it had been Genkai's favorite spot _on_ the grounds, on the rare occasion the old woman allowed herself to relax. Once spring arrived, the plum blossoms would cover the stone, and blanket the old woman's memory in peace.

"You did that well," Koenma said, once the last of the ordinary people had filtered out. "Do you know what you plan on doing next?"

Kimiko shook her head a little, leaning wearily against Shuuichi's shoulder; she was almost too tired to think after such a long day.

"...all right. You get some rest. I'll see you in a few days, I hope."

She nodded this time, and watched as he turned to catch up to Botan, who had been waiting for him at the main gate. It made her smile, just a little, to see the blue-haired woman take the offered arm and walk with him down the stairs.

Shuuichi's arm, wrapped around her shoulders, squeezed gently.

"He's right," he said softly. "It's been a very long day, and you need to eat something. Between what was brought and what was made here, there should be more than enough to choose from."

"Okay..."

She wasn't going to admit that up until they'd put Genkai's coffin in the crematorium furnace that she'd been holding onto the hope that maybe she would just... wake up. Come back, the way Koenma had allowed _her_ to come back. It simply hurt too much.

The temple was as quiet as ever, even with the different people that had elected to stay for the night; she could feel her brother, Jin, Kazuma and Toya in one room, while Shizuru, Yukina, Keiko and baby Sayaka were in another. Chu had left, accompanying Atsuko—the idea that they had a relationship was strange, but not a terrible one; she knew Chu wouldn't go out of his way to hurt her mother—as had Shishi and Rinku, but Suzuki had stayed. Bui hadn't shown, but she was okay with that, not entirely sure about her feelings on the large demon who had been working with the Toguros.

The kitchen was deserted when they made it there, but as Shuuichi had said, there were more than enough food options to go around. Kimiko wasn't sure she _was_ hungry, but if she didn't eat, he would fuss, so she picked a few things that she thought might go down easily.

One by one, those who had stayed filtered in, until the kitchen was almost stuffed full, each gathering their own meal from the various presented dishes, then picking a place to sit, or stand.

"You know what I remember?" Yusuke said, first to break the somber silence. "Thinking you were batshit crazy to let an old woman throw you around the room."

Kimiko had to smile ruefully.

"She ended up throwing you around the room too," she replied, pointing at him with her chopsticks.

"Yeah, and I thought I was nuts for letting her!"

"You think that was crazy?" Jin snorted a little, "I'd heard stories of Genkai since I was a wee demon, and I somehow fell in with her student and then her! I thought fer sure I was a goner when I was brought here!"

"You were very dramatic," Kimiko agreed. "It was kind of funny."

Jin stuck out his tongue at her, and she couldn't help grinning back at him.

"She threw a bokken at my head first time she saw me," Kazuma piped up, earning a faint giggle from Yukina. "Also said my spirit awareness needed training. Kinda wish I'd taken her up on that now..."

"At least you all got to meet her with a buffer," Kimiko pointed out. "I came here by myself with only a letter of introduction. I had no _idea_ what I was getting into! Crabby, four foot tall, old woman with more skill than I could ever learn in my lifetime was definitely not what _I_ was expecting."

"I don't think there's a way anyone could even begin to explain Genkai where you knew what to expect," Shizuru said, smirking a little over her beer.

"Scary might've worked," Jin said immediately.

"Grouchy," was Yusuke's input.

"Tough," said Kazuma.

"Wise," Shizuru said after a moment.

"Powerful," Toya added.

"Callous," Suzuki grumbled.

"Kind," Yukina said softly.

"Complicated," Keiko continued.

"Sad," Shuuichi murmured.

"Family," Kimiko finished.

The sadness didn't quite fall away, but talk turned towards lighter things. Stories of various training escapades with Genkai, the callous way she acted, and the faith she had in her chosen family whiled away time until everyone started to drift away to their beds. Kimiko hadn't even realized she'd eaten more than she'd thought she would, and felt far more relaxed than she had at the start of the day.

It helped to take off the formal kimono; she'd felt restrained in the damned thing all day. Trading it for comfortable pajamas, then being able to curl up next to Shuuichi, helped as well.

"You sure you're okay with me not telling them yet?" she asked, tucking the necklace and ring a little more firmly down against her skin.

"It's up to you," he replied equably, pulling her closer. "You've already said you'd rather not have a big ceremony, and I see no harm in waiting until the traditional mourning period is ended to let them know. You may get quite the loud reaction, of course, for keeping it quiet for so long."

She smiled wryly, snuggling up to him with a yawn.

"Probably... We could really upset them by just doing a civil ceremony too, though I'm not sure I'd survive that reaction."

He laughed softly, and kissed her forehead.

"No, I suspect we would both get in trouble there, and not just from _your_ family. Mother has not hinted anything yet, but I suspect she would enjoy helping to plan the wedding."

"Chaos. That's what it's gonna be," Kimiko replied dryly, yawning again. "You know it is."

"Well, at least it will be as minimal as we can make it," he replied, giving her another small kiss. "Rest now, Kimiko. There is plenty of time."

* * *

There was too; the collapse of the tunnel, combined with the fact that demons now knew who Kimiko _was,_ meant that very few low-levels were interested in challenging her, or even setting foot in the part of the city that was her territory. Those that did cross her path were scrupulously polite... or ran away, stories of which she shared to the amusement of friends and family alike. It returned to a time like before; April sliding into May peaceful and calm. Her and Yusuke's birthday came and went, and other than the small gathering party, there was no great fuss made, which she was quite happy about. It allowed her to deal with the grief that still pricked her at odd times, and think about what to do with the compound.

Unlike Genkai, Kimiko was not someone who wanted—or needed, really—to be shut away from the world. She _liked_ the city, its noise and it's bustle. Thousands of people day in and day out, each with their own life, their own story. Being in the world was much more palatable than being outside of it. But by that same token, she couldn't let the compound go to ruin. There _did_ need to be someone there, caring for it, on a far more regular basis than she did.

"If it wasn't for the miserably long train ride, and the taxi ride, then that hike, it wouldn't be so bad," she said as she walked with Keiko and Sayaka down the street, soda held loosely in her fingers. She hadn't been feeling too well lately, the soda helped ease the fizzing of her gut. "But it _is_ a miserably long train ride, taxi ride, and hike. And even just visiting on the weekends can be a hassle for only a few hours worth of time to care for the place."

"Well, why not ask Jin and Toya?" Keiko asked sensibly. "They live on the mountain, maybe they'd like living in the temple, now that Genkai's not there to... ah..."

Kimiko snickered.

"Make them train to her specific demands?"

"Yes. That."

"I thought about that," Kimiko admitted. "It's hard to catch either one of them to talk, though. There's no reception in those mountains, and they have a home in the woods that's completely tech-free. No land line, not even a radio. I hate saying it, considering how nice and calm it's been recently, but I just haven't actually had the time..."

"I know how that goes," Keiko sighed sympathetically. "This little one takes up a lot of my time too, even with Mom and Dad so willing to watch her while I help Yusuke in the diner. Sometimes we have to just... make time, though. You know?"

Kimiko nodded, privately amused at the fact that now she _did_ understand. In a bid to give Kokoda a chance to relax—and also because soon it was going to be finals for the college student—Shuuichi had returned to full-time duties in his shop, while she had gone back to her usual working hours at the esoteric store. True, they were together in mornings and evenings, but sometimes it did seem like they didn't get much chance to talk unless they picked a specific time for it.

"Oh, speaking of, Yusuke wanted to know if you're staying for dinner. I think he wants to pester you about something. He had that look."

Kimiko rolled her eyes in fond exasperation.

"Not surprising. Never mind that we talk much more now after everything that's happened, there's still always going to be the in-person interrogation. I wouldn't mind staying, but I'll have to call Shuuichi first; we were going to sit down and start looking through catalogs tonight."

"Catalogs? Are you furniture shopping?"

"No. Wedding."

She walked on, gleefully innocent as Keiko stopped dead, then turned back after a moment, trying not to laugh as she spotted the startled expression on her sister's face.

"Oh, didn't I say?~ He proposed."

* * *

It turned into much more of a gathering than she expected. Shuuichi had laughed when she'd told him, and caught the next train he could to be there with her when she broke the news to the rest of her family, plus Yukina, Koenma, and Botan, all of whom Keiko had called.

The reactions were well-worth the wait; Yusuke swore for a good five minutes until Keiko smacked him and reminded him about the baby; Botan laughed in delight, while Yukina offered quite congratulations and a hug; Koenma appeared stunned, and Kazuma just shook his head, giving them both a thumbs ups, while Shizuru toasted them with a beer.

"Why the hell didn't you say anything earlier?" Yusuke demanded when _most_ of the chattering had calmed down.

"Because it's bad manners to celebrate at a funeral," Kimiko replied dryly, fishing the necklace and ring out from under her shirt to pass around. "Though I suppose Genkai would have found it hilarious, considering she said I should marry him too."

"One of the few times in this relationship where I have actually beaten her to the punch," Shuuichi offered with a wry smile. "Though admittedly, the rest was letting her proceed at the pace she found comfortable. Which constantly resulted in her being required to make the first move."

"You definitely got the gentleman," Keiko said with a grin. "I got the lout."

"Hey!"

Kimiko laughed, leaning against Shuuichi fondly.

"She has a point, Yuu," she teased. "You've always been an ass~"

Yusuke looked like he was about to say something that would get him in trouble with wife _and_ sister, so it was probably a good thing Kazuma spoke up.

"So you guys got plans for it yet?"

"Mm, no," Kimiko shook her head a little. "We were waiting for the mourning period to be over; tonight was just going to be looking through some catalogs for ideas and things. Nothing too terribly fancy either..."

"The idea is to be as cost-effective as possible," Shuuichi added as Keiko and Yukina both made sounds of protest. "A large affair, publicized, could bring down more attention than either of us care to have."

"Plus, Keiko, I remember trying to help with yours. You kind of went Bridezilla on everyone there at the end," Kimiko teased gently. "I'd rather avoid that, honestly."

Keiko blushed, making Kimiko giggle as she looped the chain around her neck again, tucking the ring back under her shirt.

"She's right," Shizuru said with a sly grin. "And a Bridezilla Kimi is probably something best avoided with the power _she_ can bring to bear."

"Shi _zu_ ru!"

* * *

Despite not actually _intending_ to plan anything, it was amusing to watch as Kimiko was drawn into the group of other women, seeming quite happy to let them _try_ and drag plans out of her. Shuuichi watched with a faint, fond smile, shaking his head a little.

"She did feel it would be disrespectful to Genkai's memory to tell everyone when I initially proposed," he said in response to Yusuke's grumbled complaint, turning his attention back to him. "I left the choice up to her, as wedding ceremonies are generally more about the young lady than the young man."

"You didn't even tell _your_ mom?" he asked, sounding suspicious.

"No, though I would expect her to see it coming. Mother has occasionally worried about my, ah... lack of companionship. She was quite taken with Kimiko when they met, so I suspect this news will be quite pleasing for her. She may well enthusiastically join in with the attempted planning they're trying to make over there."

Koenma snorted a little in amusement, shaking his head slightly.

"I have to admit, of all the outcomes that have come from dealing with this girl, this is one of the better things that's happened," he said with a faint, wry smile. "I hope there's no plans for retirement?"

"You would have to pose that question to Kimiko, as she's the one technically under your employ," Shuuichi replied. "As far as I understand, she doesn't intend to go anywhere, but our plans do have a habit of changing without warning..."

He wasn't about to tell anyone seated there that one plan had already potentially changed. True, it was still too early to be certain, but he had the feeling...

"Man... hey, Kuwabara, that means, _you're_ the only one without a girl~" Yusuke teased.

"Hey!" Kazuma squawked. "My girl's sittin right over there!"

"Really?I thought that was your sister."

Being the only one actually facing the way, Shuuichi was in the perfect position to watch a small ball of lavender energy fly across the room and pop against the back of Yusuke's head. He stifled a laugh at the young man's yelp, even as Yusuke turned to glare at his sister. Neither Koenma nor Kazuma were so polite; Koenma's burst was surprised as much as amused, while Kazuma smacked the table in his glee.

"Don't be rude, Yuu," Kimiko said with a smirk. "You had the advantage of knowing Keiko since pre-k,and you know damn well you were lucky to find someone who could tolerate you. At least Kaz has _manners_."

"Man, if you weren't my sister, I'd _so_ give it to you right now," he threatened.

"Uh huh, sure, Yuu," and now she grinned. "You mad, bro~?"

He just flipped her off, and she laughed at him, then slanted her gaze towards Shuuichi, giving him a fond wink. He chuckled a little and nodded slightly in admiration for her deft defusing of a situation that could have quickly become far more volatile.

" _Here's_ a question," Yusuke said, rubbing the back of his head a little irritably still. "Where's it gonna be?"

Shuuichi only shrugged.

"I was expecting the compound, but Kimiko may have other ideas. It is a good place for a gathering, as we've so often seen, and no doubt those we do invite will be that mix of humans and demons. The compound is a good neutral ground to work on. As she said, we haven't really discussed it much. It's been mundanely busy, and she was... grieving, still."

"So none of the details are set? Dude, it's _May_. You guys are gonna run out of prime wedding weather if you don't hurry."

"I see no reason to rush. Kimiko seems to favor no particular season," and Shuuichi smiled a little, "and flowers would hardly be an issue. Regardless, everyone will know the date well in advance; it would be rude to simply spring it on you all the night before."

"...She totally thought about it didn't she?"

Shuuichi grinned a little.

"And having a civil ceremony, with only a judge to witness, yes," he said.

" _What?!_ "

* * *

"You _had_ to tell him about that one, didn't you?" she sighed, giving her fiancee a tolerant shove. "Really, Shuu?"

He chuckled and moved back in to wrap his arm around her fondly. Given that she wasn't actually annoyed, she leaned her head against his shoulder, and couldn't help but smile.

"It was amusing. I would have expected him to know it wasn't serious."

"Yuu's the champion of over-reactions, remember? At least when it comes to family..."

"I will keep it in mind for future events," he said, and she caught a hint of sly amusement.

" _You_ are plotting something again, aren't you?"

"Oh, perhaps. It may never come to fruition, but there is something to be said for finding amusement in certain things."

"Shuu _i_ chiiiii..."

He kissed her temple and Kimiko huffed a little, now _quite_ certain that he was up to something.

The playful air lasted until they made it home; Hiei standing on the railing was nothing new, but the aura he carried was far more grim than was typical. Both of them stopped, and Kimiko felt a faint foreboding curling in her stomach; she hadn't _forgotten_ his joke/not joke about taking on one of the demon kings...

"It's been some time, Hiei," Shuuichi said politely, his even tone calming her worries. "Didn't you return home?"

"Yes. The air there is much more soothing than here. Annoyingly, an old friend of yours found me and asked me to pass on a message. Yomi heard about the tunnel, and who was fighting to protect the humans."

Shuuichi's hand on her shoulder tightened just slightly, and she shifted a half-step closer to him.

"...that's one of the names Jin said when he was talking about demon kings while we were trying to deal with the Saint Beasts, right?"

"Yes," Shuuichi said quietly. "Hiei, what is this message?"

"He wants to meet with you and talk. Seems he's as tired of this stalemate with Mukuro's army as Mukuro is with his. No doubt he wants to pick your brain for a suitable solution."

"...politer than I was anticipating..."

"Kurama. Yomi's changed, but I wouldn't say it's for the better," Hiei said, slanting a glance towards Kimiko who was listening silently. "I don't _think_ he's foolish enough to try and challenge Genkai's heir, but he wouldn't be so merciful towards the more ordinary members of your family. Tread carefully."

"And what will you be doing at this time?"

"Mukuro intrigues me," he replied with a shrug. Kimiko was almost willing to swear she heard a slight softening to his tone. Respect maybe? His idea of what could constitute affection? "I'll keep watching for now." He paused, then narrowed his eyes slightly. "Mukuro would _also_ like to meet you, if Yomi's offer ends up being not palatable."

"I see... Thank you, Hiei."

"Hmph. It's bothersome being the messenger. Look me up if you decide to come."

Kimiko could track him more easily now as he sped away, though she chose not to. Instead she looked up at the set expression on Shuuichi's face and _worried._

* * *

"Who was Yomi?"

The question brought him out of the haze of thought, and Shuuichi looked up to see Kimiko standing over him, offering a cup of tea. Chamomile and mint, he deduced, smelling the fragrant herbs she had chosen to steep into the water; her stomach was still bothering her, it seemed.

"Yomi was a... former second of mine, when I made my way as a thief," he said, accepting the cup and holding it loosely in his hands. The warmth was soothing, but it was the woman who sat next to him who eased his mind further. "He was headstrong and rash, much worse than Hiei. He would rarely follow the plan, and had a distressing propensity to get his team members killed in pursuit of the goal. Often, I had to rescue him, and more than once we failed to achieve what we desired because of that."

She nodded, watching his face as she sipped her tea. Affection. Validation. Concern. After a moment, he sighed.

"I tired of it after a while, and set him up to be killed. The assassin reported success, so I didn't bother with the follow up. While I heard of a new king called Yomi eventually, it's not an uncommon name, and there are many reaches of Demon World that remain unexplored. Coupled with the fact that he was on par with Mukuro and Raizen, I was certain it couldn't be the same Yomi, so I put the idea out of my head. It seems I should have more thoroughly investigated..."

"So, you think he's going to try and get revenge?"

"I am uncertain. It may be as Hiei says, and he only wishes to talk. I am leery of placing myself on his side, simply from what I recall Jin and Toya saying during our trip to Maze Castle, and in truth, I would rather not find myself opposing Hiei if I could avoid it."

Kimiko turned her cup in her hands, and now he watched her face as emotions flitted across it; concern, even a little bit of fear that she tried to suppress. Finally, resignation. She didn't want him to go, that much was obvious, but neither would she _stop_ him from going, if he felt he should.

He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"I am curious, but I promise that I will not leave without letting you know," he said gently. "I cannot leave right now in any case, as Kokoda is busy with his finals, and you have your own work to care for."

She blinked. Looked up at him in surprise.

"You'd let me run your store?"

"Of course," and he chuckled a little, nuzzling her lightly. "I'd like to teach you how, actually, but I thought it best that we return to a more... normal schedule before broaching the idea. Koenma is already somewhat dismayed about the idea that you might retire from being a hunter once we're ceremoniously married."

Kimiko snorted a little.

"Of course he would. I've been thinking about it, but I'd probably die of boredom in a week. It's not like we live in a big place than needs a lot of attention..."

It made him smile a little to hear her say it like that. As they were now, the two of them would rattle around in a house like the one his mother and step-father lived in, and even if two became three, this apartment would still suit them nicely.

"But wouldn't it be a bit much?" she continued, looking up at him thoughtfully. "We do need the chance to be apart as much as together... I don't want to smother you..."

He leaned down and kissed her lightly.

"I believe it would be beneficial, but it is your choice, Kimiko. I certainly don't want you to feel as though you _must_ work at the shop. Take your time and think about it. We'll have to talk it over with Koenma if you agree, after all."

She nodded slowly, sipping her tea thoughtfully. He drank his as well, then slipped her empty cup from her hands when she'd finished, taking them both to the sink.

"Come. It's late," he said gently. "If memory serves, tomorrow, you're opening, so getting some rest would be beneficial."

She groaned a little at the reminder, and pushed herself off the couch.


	28. Twenty-seven

Twenty seven

Shuuichi had never considered Yomi to be patient, so he admittedly went through the following weeks feeling far more tense that he had in a long while. He did his best to present his usual polite face, and being around Kimiko was always a balm, but he couldn't help admitting to himself that he was waiting for the shoe to drop.

Instead, Kimiko volunteered to be trained to run the store and help Kokoda while he was away 'on business' as she termed it. It was a little bit humbling to realize that she knew he was going, and she trusted him to come back. Koenma was _not_ as pleased, but he could hardly begrudge the change... especially after Kimiko had snapped at him about it.

"I didn't _mean_ to lose my temper," she said sheepishly as he chuckled, working on repotting several plants in preparation for the following day. "I've just been more irritable lately, and he said just the wrong thing in _just_ the wrong way. Botan thought it was funny, though I suppose I'll have to apologize to him later."

"It might well be a good idea," he said with a wry smile. "Though I do not expect he'd fire you over a display of temper, considering the past few months."

"Yeah, but still. He didn't really deserve that... Oh, and Kokoda called earlier, while you were dealing with that one fussy woman. He said he has three finals, and two term papers left, but then he'll be done, so probably by the second week of June, he'll be able to take over while you're gone."

"Not too long, then," he said thoughtfully. "Did he seem surprised to hear you answer the phone?"

"Not really. He asked how my training was going, and laughed when I said it was just different enough to make me dizzy."

Shuuichi glanced over at her, attention briefly sharpening. He was quite certain now that she was pregnant, or at least showing the early signs of it, but asking seemed like bad manners. _Telling_ her seemed even worse, as he was not quite sure how she might take the news that he knew before she did. And knowing her general dislike of hospitals, and doctors, suggesting that she needed a check up probably wouldn't go over well either...

"Oh, not really dizzy, don't worry," she smiled fondly at him. "I'm fine, Shuuichi. I just mix up the codes at times, you know that. Anyways, he told me to make sure I had plenty of water, and to kick you if I needed to take a break."

"...yes, that sounds like Kokoda," he admitted with a wry smile. "All right. Once he's able to return to the store, that will make scheduling easier on you. And remember, soon it _will_ be that hot, and worse here in the greenhouse."

"Yes yes, I know," she said with tolerant amusement. "I'm not made of glass, Shuuichi, I'll be fine. I'll miss you terribly, but I'll be fine. Here, hand me the next one, would you?"

* * *

"So he's just gonna go off and face this... old ally?" Yusuke asked, a skeptical look on his face. "Leave you in charge of the store and shit?"

"Mmhm. Well, Kokoda's technically the one in charge, but I'm at about that same level. It's annoyed some of the other workers, and there's been whispers of favoritism, since I'm his fiancee, but," Kimiko shrugged, sipping her soda while she waited for him to finish making her order. "He's also getting some charms and things from Tooril today, that'll help me sort of work the same skills with his plants as he can. Not _exactly_ the same, since I can't directly manipulate them, but we should be able to keep up on stock just fine while he's gone."

"Any idea what's going to happen?"

"No... But I know he's worried that the longer he delays, the more it'll run the risk of Yomi running out of patience and something happening to his family. His mother is especially his concern, since she's just a normal person. Kind of like Keiko, but without the same attitude that grows when dealing with your shit," and she grinned at Yusuke who just snorted.

"Damn, Sis, even when you're getting a break, you're not really getting a break. You're gonna work both jobs?"

"Mmhm. Technically I'm working four jobs now, but the demons in my area are being nice and peaceful, so I haven't had to thump anyone, and from what Toya's said, no one up at the compound is interested in causing enough trouble to make me come up there."

"Oh, so they finally made up their minds?"

"Yup," Kimiko nodded. "Toya and Jin, at least, agreed that they didn't mind living in the compound and keeping it neat. I think there's a few others, people I'm not as close with, who live there too. I said as long as they don't cause trouble, or at least fix what gets broken, it was fine. The place could easily house an entire army if it needed to."

"No kidding..." Yusuke shook his head a little, neatly depositing her lunch before her. "Sure you're not running a bit ragged there, though? You look kinda pale."

"Mmmn... I'm fine, Yuu, but thanks," and she waved off his concerns gently. "Once Kokoda's finals are done and over with, it should be a bit easier to handle, and being busy will keep me from worrying too much."

"Yeah, but they're predicting record heat this year," he pointed out, leaning on the counter. "Way worse than anything else."

"It's fine, Yuu. Both shops have AC, and I can wear breathable clothing. What's got you so fussy, anyways?"

He peered at her for a long minute, then shook his head.

"Nah, nothing. Never mind."

Kimiko rolled her eyes tolerantly. Men could be so fussy.

* * *

"So it's decided then?"

Shuuichi nodded.

"Once Kokoda's finals are done, I'll find a suitable site to work a portal, and get as close to Yomi's territory as I can," he said evenly, leaning back in the chair. "Kimiko has volunteered to help Kokoda, while still keeping some hours here..."

"Yes, I know," Koenma sighed a little. "She seems to think that being busy will help, and I suppose I can't refute that, but it will cause some interesting schedule conflicts."

"No doubt you'll be able to work those out," Shuuichi replied. "I don't intend to be gone for very long; from what I've heard, Yomi's territory syncs quite well with this world's time..."

"Yes. It's been said that it does this so that when he decides to attack the human realm, he'll be able to pick the precise hour, instead of at random," Koenma rubbed his forehead lightly. "Mukuro's not much better, but at least he doesn't seem to want to just rampantly take over. I hate condoning his way of thinking too, but sometimes the lesser evil is really the best we can hope for. For all his trouble, Raizen was the one who was the best, and he managed to starve himself to death, refusing to eat anything at all for some strange reason."

Shuuichi shook his head.

"Not a reason we'll ever discover now," he pointed out. "I had considered sounding out the people in his territory too, but a decade without a leader means they'll probably have all scattered."

"Setting yourself up as a challenger wouldn't go over well with Kimiko," Koenma said dryly. "And no doubt that's what both Mukuro and Yomi would believe if you started in what's left of Raizen's lands."

"Unfortunately true," and Shuuichi sighed.

"If it helps, there's been no demon activity around your family at all, according to what my people say. We'll keep watching though, just in case."

"I appreciate it. One other thing..."

"Yes?"

"That enchantment you had on Kimiko's old phone, to call between worlds. I'd like it."

"...sure."

* * *

"So you're not going to have everything planned out and ready to roll when he gets back?" Shizuru raised an eyebrow.

"We haven't agreed on a date, yet, and he doesn't know specifically when he _will_ be back, so we're holding off," Kimiko replied, frowning a little at the shirt she had been handed. "Shizu, this thing is way too flimsy..."

"It'll look cute on you, though."

"...how do I always get talked into going shopping with you whenever we hang out again?"

"Because you know I'm right~"

Kimiko rolled her eyes a little and put the shirt back.

"In any case, we've agreed on the location, he's said he'll supply the flowers, and without a firm return date, we can't really book anything else, so I'm not really going to bother worry about it."

"What about theme?"

"Huh? Theme?"

"Yeah, you're wedding theme? Are you doing traditional, Western, casual... that sort of thing. Colors too."

"Oh," Kimiko shrugged. "No idea. Well, I mean, we kind of like the idea of the Western theme, but I don't really want to pay thousands of yen for a dress I'll only wear once. So I guess semi-formal? And don't ask me about colors, he's _much_ better at that sort of thing than I am."

"Are you _sure_ you're a girl?"

"Shizu, I will smack you. No, that sweater's got the wrong sort of sleeve; I need something that'll roll up easily, not get stuck halfway. Besides, it's getting too hot for sweaters."

Shizuru rolled her eyes, putting the garment back on the rack.

"I know you've got that hidden streak of girly in there," she said, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. "Why not let it out, go crazy?"

"Why?" Kimiko asked, puzzled. "I can be feminine without having a hugely overblown wedding. The white-dress, fairy-tale thing was always Keiko more than me. I just wanted to have someone love me. The details of the wedding itself were never that important."

"Yeah yeah... if you thought you could get away with it, you wouldn't do a ceremony at all, right?"

"Pretty much," Kimiko grinned a little. "I mean, after helping with Keiko's two... three years ago, it just seemed wasteful. A lot of stress, and headaches, and frustration that I really don't want right now."

Shizuru shook her head a little, passing over a lavender sundress that actually gave Kimiko pause. The butterflies were a nice touch...

"Have you guys told his family yet?"

"Mmhm. We told Shiori last week; Kokoda's known for a bit longer, and she was kind of annoyed that he'd kept it secret, but she's also pleased. His step-father was also pleased, and they've both offered to help with the funding. Mom called me last night, actually, and wanted to know what kind of alcohol we'd planned on serving," Kimiko rolled her eyes. "Chu was definitely laughing his ass off in the background, so I'm pretty sure it was his stupid idea. I told her we hadn't decided yet, and all she said was that we should get the good stuff. Whatever that is. Someone needs to invent a brand of horrible wine and beer, and call it 'The Good Stuff,' just for the hell of it."

"You never know, someone might do that," Shizuru said with a grin.

"Shiori also thinks that we should get married _before_ Shuuichi has to leave, but given that it's less than a week now, I think we managed to convince her that it just wasn't feasible. We're really just waiting for Kokoda to be done so that Shuuichi can go, but the store still gets covered."

"How'd your boss take that?"

"Botan helped me talk him around," Kimiko giggled a little. "It was fun. I did get kind of snappy at him once or twice, but overall it wasn't too much of a fight. Yukina was giggling madly once we were done, so I guess she thought it was funny too."

"Hey, have you heard from short-stack lately?"

"What, Hiei? No, not since he came and told Shuuichi that Yomi wanted to see him. Why?"

Shizuru shrugged.

"Kazuma seems to be a glutton for punishment and wanted to learn some sword skills from him. Not sure why, since baby bro hasn't picked up even a kendo sword in six months..."

Kimiko snorted a little.

"If he shows up, I'll ask, but I doubt he'll say yes. Hiei doesn't really think much of humans, even the ones who like his sister. As far as I could tell, he'd probably like nothing more than for Kaz to walk off a bridge, regardless of whether that's what Yukina would like or not. Speaking of, how're they doing?"

"Kazuma's got his last final today, and I think he was going to take her out to celebrate being done, even though he won't know his grades for a while," Shizuru said in wry amusement. "So if you see a big, dopey redhead wandering around, try to make sure he doesn't make friends with the lamp post."

Kimiko just laughed, and went to try on a few new outfits.

* * *

"Shuuichi?"

His arms tightened around her gently, indicating that he was, in fact, as awake as she was. Kokoda's last final had been that afternoon, and he was more than ready to come to work the following day... which meant Shuuichi was leaving in the morning.

"...Is it to late for me to say I don't want you to go?" she asked, her voice tiny.

He shifted, pulling her up a little so that he could kiss her forehead.

"I would rather not go myself," he admitted softly. "Staying here, planning for the wedding, that would be my preference. But... I have delayed far longer than I thought would be safe. The Yomi of old would have already sought to cause great trouble for this slight, and I worry that it would not do to make him continue to wait."

She sighed a little, and nodded. She could understand that thinking, even if she didn't like it. Even knowing that Koenma had people keeping an eye out for new trouble didn't make her feel much better.

"I will not be out of touch," he said, gently stroking her cheek. "I asked Koenma to put a spell on my phone that will allow it to connected between the worlds, and I will call you often."

She hesitated; part of her wanted him to promise, and part of her worried that if he did so, Yomi—or those who worked with him—might try to use that against him.

"It won't cause you trouble?" she finally asked.

"If it causes trouble, I will deal with it," and she heard a sharpness to his tone that was strangely comforting. "Yomi has clearly changed, but I have as well."

It made her smile a little, snuggling more firmly against him.

"You may have to put up with some Yoko temperament, however," Shuuichi continued after a moment. "While I would rather not maintain that form in this realm, it would be sensible to wear over there. To avoid... confusion, and keep things separate."

"It's still you," she said firmly, softly winding her fingers in the familiar crimson strands that she loved. "As long as... as long as you call and let me know you're okay, I'll be okay too."

It would suck to be separated, to be in this apartment on her own and not know when he was coming back... but she could deal with that, damnit. She would be much too busy to worry... hopefully.

He kissed her delicately, trailing his fingers through her hair, across her cheek.

"I will come back," he said, his voice soft and firm. Dark as it was, she could see his green eyes glimmering as he looked at her. "I promise, Kimiko."

She nodded, not quite willing to trust her voice, feeling the prick of sudden tears. He rolled onto his side, and she pressed her forehead against his neck, curling her fingers in his shirt as he wrapped his other arm around her and held her close.

* * *

Neither one of them slept that night, though they both certainly tried. Shuuichi held Kimiko tightly as the scent of her anxiety rose and fell in turns; bringing her along had occurred to him, and she wold no doubt be well able to fend for herself, but he didn't want her in that air, to see that part of his life. He hoped she understood... certainly she had never brought it up, and it was much too late to broach the topic now. She was committed to working at both shops until he came back.

And, though it was plausibly selfish of him, he wanted her to be _safe_. While there was no absolute guarantee that such a thing was possible, in the demon world, it would be certain that she _wasn't_. Humans venturing into that world were always targeted, no mater their power...

The alarm on his phone went off softly with the sunrise, and he felt more than actually heard Kimiko's complaint. She still got up and went jogging most mornings, but today, it seemed, was definitely going to be different.

He stroked her hair, her scent committed to memory; no matter how long he spent in demon world, it was back to this one that he would return. He had many important reasons, her being one of the most.

"...you'll be careful?"

Her voice was tiny, sounding exhausted. Today was going to be difficult for the both of them, just based on that weariness.

"I'll be careful," he said quietly.

"Will you visit both of them?"

"I will visit Yomi to find out what it is he wants... I will wait on Mukuro until I know what that is, to prevent causing trouble. No doubt Hiei is waiting impatiently for everything to get on."

She was quiet, and he felt her yawning a little. Something about what he'd said seemed to have relaxed her.

"...Shuu? Is there any harm in letting them stay at a stalemate?"

"I will know more once I go and see for myself."

She sighed a little, then nodded.

"...but I don't have to leave right away," he finished softly. "We can remain here for a while yet."

"Okay..."

They could not, however, stay in bed forever. Time would not simply hold still because he wished it, and sooner than he liked, her own alarm went off, indicating it was time to get up and have breakfast. It was with pure reluctance that he loosened his hold and allowed her to slip out of it, though he didn't let her go without a kiss.

So tempting to turn that kiss into more... But no. If they were to do that, it should have happened earlier. Now, there was no time.

* * *

The remaining time seemed to pass too fast for her liking; They changed, had breakfast, and went down to open the store. Fifteen minutes in, the taxi arrived, the one that would take him to Demon's Door this early in the morning, where he would slip through the space between worlds.

She watched him go, watched the taxi until she couldn't see him any more, then pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at the photo of them on the lockscreen. After a long moment she sighed, and put it away without unlocking the phone. She had could do this. She _could_ , damnit.

It would be fine.

* * *

It was almost ironic that he was returning to Demon's Door so early in the day, but that was the spot where it was easier to induce a portal, a trick he was still only slightly sure he had the hang of. Hopefully there wouldn't be much call to perfect this particular skill... though perfect it he eventually would.

He didn't need to go deep into the cave system, just out of sight of the road. The small portal he opened led him to the psuedospace between the worlds, and he concentrated on crossing it quickly, making the shift from Shuuichi to Kurama as he did so. His human form would be good for inducing others to underestimate him, but it was a secret he was not inclined to share just yet. Not with Yomi, or any other demon he might encounter.

The skies of the demon world sparks with lightning, as constant a storm as there ever was. In the distance, he could see a city, on par with Tokyo for a sprawling metropolis. Its light and towers rose above the trees, and he absently checked the phone he had placed in the small bag; reception was spotty, but it seemed to be serviceable.

In enemy territory now, no matter what Yomi might think, Kurama was on his guard. His ears twitched, picking up strata of sounds that his human ones would have missed, and the wind bore scents both familiar and un. So he picked up the scents of the three attackers well before they leaped from the trees, and the familiar traces of energy nearby told him precisely who had set them upon him.

Kurama was not amused.

* * *

Kimiko sensed the unfamiliar energy on her walk to the esoteric store, and pulled out her phone, selecting the contact she needed quickly.

"Koenma."

"I'm being followed."

"Hiei?"

"Nope. He either is too obvious, or I never see him. Besides, he's in demon world with Mukuro. This one's lacking all form of subtly. I can feel the malice from down the block."

"Shuuichi left only a few hours ago."

"Mmhm."

"...I see... How late do you think you'll be?"

She smiled a little, a sharp, angry smile. It was nice to be understood.

"Not terribly. An hour at most."

"Right. Be careful. He'd get upset if you got hurt."

"I know. See you later."

She put the phone away in her pocket again after hanging up, and turned down an innocuous alleyway. Then another, leading her pursuer farther down the back ways until they were about as alone as it was possible to get before she stopped and waited.

"Point the first when stalking someone," she said coolly, hands in her pockets. "Don't let your hatred show. It makes your energy control fluctuate, and gives you away to anyone with a reasonable amount of awareness."

The demon that stepped out of the shadows was tall, and broad. With the scales and ears, he reminded her rather of a fish, and the trident he carried didn't alter that image too much. All brawn and few brains, she decided, getting a proper look at him. Was this someone who worked for Yomi, or just someone who wanted to fight her for Genkai's power?

"No fox to protect you, girl."

Ah. Yomi's, then. Well, that was almost insulting, really.

"Point the second when stalking someone; know _who_ you're stalking. _I'm_ not the one who needs protection."

She pulled a hand out of her pocket, and pulled her energy into a ball that hovered above it. He stared at it for a moment, then at her. Then sneered in a manner that suggested he was unimpressed.

"Point the _third_ when stalking someone. Literally. _Know your target_ ," and she played with the energy ball, rolling it lightly to and fro on her fingers.

Abruptly, she threw the ball at the demon, though it wasn't actually meant to hit him. Instead, it flashed blindingly bright in his face, and he stumbled back, swearing. In an effort to keep her at a distance, he swept the prongs of his trident in her general direction with enough force to cause a small gust of wind. Kimiko dodged, then made a faint sound of irritation as a small slice appeared in her shirt.

"Thanks jackass, now I have to change when I get to work! I'm not feeling particularly generous right now, lack of sleep and all, so you get two options; fuck off back to demon world on your own, or I'll send you back in _pieces_."

* * *

"...how'd it go?" Botan asked.

"Well, the jerk ripped my shirt, but I think I got him to fuck off," Kimiko replied sourly. "This was one of my new ones too. Why does this always happen when I want to wear something nice?"

"Oh dear...well, it doesn't look too bad, I'm sure it won't be hard to patch?" she offered.

Kimiko plucked the shirt off her chest and sighed a little. The rip really wasn't _that_ bad, but it was heavily annoying.

"I suppose. I'm just tired, so I may have lost my temper a bit..."

"Well, he deserves it. It is a nice shirt."

"Mn..."

Botan gently patted her shoulder, and Kimiko sighed again.

"Let me change, and then I'll come out and help."

"Get some tea too. Yukina brought the most _divine_ blend you've ever had. It might help!"

"Sure, Botan. Sure..."

Really, she wasn't sure much _could_ help her... but the routine of work would at least give her something to be distracted with.

* * *

"I came at your request. Say what you have to say," Kurama said, ice in his irritation.

"I had heard that you're living as a human now, and even have a woman of your own," Yomi said, a faintly pleasant smile on his face. "You never seemed interested in that sort of thing when we still worked together, but in only two decades, you've clearly changed your tune. Not as much as I have, of course, but a thousand years of learning to see in a different manner has done quite a bit. Tell me, does this girl know the truth? Or have you kept your true self a secret from her?"

Kurama just watched Yomi through narrowed eyes. A millennia had produced a profound change in his one hot-headed second. He was calmer, quieter... and much more dangerous. It would be better, safer, to lead Yomi into thinking the wrong thing. Perhaps if he underestimated Kimiko, she would be safer...

"That is not the point," he said instead. "You requested my presence through Hiei. I have come to decide whether it is worth the effort."

"Ah, as calm and cool as ever. You seem quite infatuated with humans these days. A loving mother, your step-father, and of course, that younger brother that works with you. And then the woman. I've been told she's quite lovely."

Kurama merely raised an eyebrow, folding his arms loosely across his chest.

"But none of them know the real you, do they? The ruthless thief that once raided treasures from across this land, in a bid for power, to carve out our territory."

"I've heard tell that you and Mukuro remain in constant battle," Kurama countered. "Your armies clash, but neither one gains a bit of ground, instead spending countless lives on a balanced stalemate."

"...this is true," Yomi nodded slightly. "And annoyingly, Raizen's former second has managed to hold that pitiful territory together, though they have no king. Some of Raizen's former allies help them, or so I'm told."

"So a balance remains, despite your machinations."

"Also unfortunately true," and Yomi's sigh sounded disappointing. "But this is no place to discuss such matter. "Please, come to Gandara and we can speak more there."

"I believe we are speaking quite well out here," Kurama replied, his tone mild and even.

"Ah, of course you don't trust me, after what I've said about your little human family. Rest easy, Kurama, I have no interest in them at the moment. Even as powerful as I am, I know what would be considered a fool's idea."

"Do you?"

Yomi looked briefly taken aback.

"Tell me, how did you learn of my... survival?" Kurama asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Well, not _every_ demon who pressed against that incomplete tunnel was killed when it was vaporized from existence. Tales of the demons fighting _against_ the portal have traveled swiftly. Your friend Hiei has already been in touch with that tyrant Mukuro, though the rest have been less receptive to invitations. Strange how they seem to find human world that much more inviting than their home..."

Any demon with a modicum of sense could find more peace in the human world, so long as they didn't do anything stupid. Kurama was quite certain that Yomi knew this, and just as certain that he didn't care. Some things had changed, but Yomi's desire for power seemed to have only been channeled, not altered.

"I'd been told you have a human form as well. I'm surprised you're not in it."

"Humans don't last long in this realm. Your desires to have me prove myself were overt and simplistic."

"And unappreciated, I understand."

"Lord Yomi..."

Yomi turned his head slightly, as a small, elderly-appearing demon approached from upwind. Kurama had sense the energy, if not caught his scent.

"Yes, Yoda?"

"The council meeting will begin shortly."

"Ah, yes. Are you coming, Kurama? Your advice could be quite helpful."

Still so at ease, so sure he had the upper hand. Offering no threat, being as pleasant and charming as possible, and yet Kurama knew that Yomi was still seeking something to use as leverage against him. Going into the city would be a risk... but so would remaining outside of it.

"Sir, an outsider?" Yoda protested.

Yomi just waited, and after a moment Kurama nodded.

"Very well."

"Excellent."


	29. Twenty-eight

Twenty eight

"You're going to turn your back on decades worth of memories?" Yomi asked, sounding surprised. "I thought you were smarter than that, Kurama."

"I will not help you unify even a fraction of these people just so you can attack the humans," Kurama replied, arms crossed over his chest.

The display with Genwaku, in the prison below, would have been worrying had he been younger. But Kurama was secured in his power, and in his life; petty displays of anger over past necessities didn't impress him.

"The humans rush to their own demise," Yomi argued. "We would simply be helping them along. The regulations put in place by that paltry attempt at government in Spirit world, let alone the human demon hunters-"

"Enough, Yomi. I will not help you."

"...I see."

This meeting had been private; Yomi could easily dismiss him, and lose no face. No doubt assassination attempts would become the norm for a short period, until enough of them had been killed to prove that it was a pointless venture, but that would be dealt with.

"Will you help Mukuro, then? Ally with your friend Hiei?"

"My life and priorities lie within the human realm, as does my alliance," Kurama said, giving him this bit of information freely. "I care not for the power balances, or lack thereof, in this realm."

Yomi's brooding silence was filled with a slowly rising power. Kurama let his hands drop loosely to his sides, quite willing to fight his way out if it became ultimately necessary, though he hoped it would not. Would Kimiko be able to come if he called her with the beacon?

Actually, better to not consider that idea; knowing her she would _force_ her way into this realm, and leave bodies in her wake in a bid to reach him. It was not a palatable idea.

After several tense minutes, the air of threat abruptly vanished, and Yomi sighed, somewhere between disappointed and disgusted.

"I suppose as long as you stay out of it, that will do. A pity. Your advice could have easily turned the tide of this war. I remember well how your carefully thought out plans always garnered the treasures you wanted."

"Keep in mind as well, how I responded to threats," Kurama said.

And walked out of the room.

* * *

Kimiko hummed quietly as she adjusted her carry bag, checking what she'd gotten against the list in her hand. She'd gotten the boxed lunches, the water, the tea... She wasn't sure why it was suddenly _her_ turn to pick this stuff up for her co-workers, but she just mentally shrugged and let it pass. If she didn't hurry, she was going to be late relieving Kokoda, and goodness knew he certainly didn't deserve to be stuck dealing with _all_ the customers.

Just most of them.

She allowed herself an amused smile; technically Yusuke was ten-and-some minutes older than her, and he'd never let her forget it. Having a younger brother was going to be fun.

"Kimiko-san, perfect," he greeted her with unfeigned relief. "Can you take over for a minute, I need to grab some plants from the greenhouse."

She started to nod, then paused, shifting her focus briefly. She had felt something... a fluctuation of energy that put her on her guard.

"...You know what, why don't you let me do that? What do you need?"

"Ah.. two.. ferns, and some more of those miniature rose trees. They're very popular today."

"Right," and she smiled at him. "I'll just put this away, and get those for you!"

He nodded, smiling back and seemed to sense nothing amiss. All the better for her, though she found herself wondering what really _would_ happen if Shuuichi's secret ever came out. She doubted Shiori would care—she loved her son, and he loved her back—but Kokoda and his father...

She deposited the food and drinks in the small fridge in the back room, then headed out to the greenhouse to retrieve the plants... and cast her senses wide. This one thought he was more subtle than the fish demon, but he was more than wrong, and she didn't like the sudden sharp feeling she got off him.

As she approached the greenhouse, her phone rang, and she pulled it out even as she stepped in.

"Urameshi Kimiko."

"Kimiko, stay on your guard. We've just had demons try to get at Shiori and Kazuya, no doubt you and Kokoda are targets as well."

"...I guess Shuuichi told Yomi no," she said, a little dourly. "I thought something was up; between my irritated fish man yesterday and the demon on the roof not too far from the store, we've gotten an uncommon amount of attention."

"We thwarted the demons going after Shuuichi's parents, but all our intelligence suggests that Yomi is the persistent type. It might be time to tell him he needs to come clean to his family," Koenma said.

"Well, I can suggest it, but it's ultimately his choice. Even just admitting he's a demon hunter could stun all three of them. An actual demon is pushing it."

"Well, it's that or Yomi's people try to spill the beans themselves. They were prepared to do that, and one tried to shout it at his mother, even though the demon hunter we assigned to guard her was quick on his feet."

Kimiko made a face. More and more she was coming to dislike Yomi. It had just been on principle before—resenting someone who saw humans only as food was practical, really—but now it was starting to get personal.

"All right. I'll try. Assuming he's in any shape to hear it when he gets here, of course."

"Are you going to do anything about your demon watcher?"

"So long as Kokoda's not alone, I'm not too worried," she said, shifting the phone slightly so that she could cradle the ferns in her elbow. "If anyone's _stupid_ enough to attack the store, they'll regret it."

"Do you need any back up?"

"Thanks, Koenma, but I've got this. If he comes any closer, he'll regret it."

"...well, alright. We'll get someone to make sure Kokoda doesn't get ambushed on the way home, then."

"All right. See you tomorrow."

The demon hadn't moved by the time she came out, arms full of plants, though she certainly did feel a spike of expectation. Pointedly turning her head to the spot where she knew the little bastard was hiding, she gave her best death stare, and flared her power slightly.

Threat displays generally felt crude, even when they accomplished what they were supposed to. The demon remained still, and she returned to the store with the plants, and relieved Kokoda so that he could go take his break.

* * *

Kurama walked calmly out of Gandara, quite happy to have the city at his back, even as he acknowledged that it would probably be the last time he allowed Yomi to see it. Visiting Mukuro was as unpalatable as being here had been, and he simply wanted to return to the clearing where he could open the way into Demon's Door, and from there, return home.

The boy in his path was almost a surprise, but then, he hadn't really expected Yomi would let him leave without some token of resistance. He looked very similar to Yomi, and Kurama tipped his head slightly; his child? No... something both more and less than that.

"Just because my father let you walk out alive doesn't mean you get to walk away," the boy proclaimed. "You're too much trouble to be allowed to live!"

"...boy, if you get in the way, it will be your life that is cut short," Kurama warned.

"You don't scare me! I beat demons like you with one hand behind my back!"

Yomi's child needed to learn some manners... But was it really worth the effort to teach them to him? Killing the boy would only enrage his former ally, and necessitate a longer stay in this realm, something he wished to avoid.

"Move," he said calmly. "Or you will be moved."

The boy glared in open anger, energy collecting in his hands. Kurama sighed a little; this child was _definitely_ Yomi's spawn; the same hot-headed temperament, with none of Yomi's learned maturity. He doubted Yomi had actually sent this little prince after him; he was too intelligent now to risk his own heir. So this had to be an idea of the eavesdropping child alone.

Better to just knock him out and be done with it.

* * *

Getting Kokoda to stay in the shop, without cluing him in to the reason _why,_ took a lot more effort than Kimiko enjoyed spending. But it did keep her mind off of wondering how Shuuichi was doing, and by the time the day ended, she wanted nothing more than to go upstairs, eat one of the box lunches she'd bought from the store and just pass out.

But she couldn't let Kokoda go off on his own, damnit. She'd never forgive herself if he got hurt, or worse, while Shuuichi was away.

"Kimiko-san, is everything okay?" he asked as they worked to close down the store. "You've been kind of tense and jumpy all afternoon..."

"...I keep thinking someone's been following me," she said, making a split-second decision that she _hoped_ wasn't about to blow up in her face. "Some creep who doesn't know how to back off."

As far as Kokoda knew, she was normal. Maybe a bit stronger than the average woman, but as normal as he was, as normal as he _thought_ Shuuichi was. She didn't want to bank too hard on that being true, but if it was, she might be able to appeal to his sense of family protection.

"And Shuuichi's gone off on this business thing," Kokoda grimaced a little. "Hey, you still need to do your dinner shopping right? Why don't I walk with you for a bit, just to make sure you're not bugged?"

"Would you? That'd be grand."

Inwardly, Kimiko breathed a sigh of relief. She could see Kokoda to the station at least, and from there she'd have to hope that Koenma's guard was as good as he thought.

* * *

This brat did not know the meaning of the words 'give up.' Kurama had thrown him through at _least_ a dozen trees, and bounced him off two very tall rocks; _still_ he came back, almost maddeningly persistent. He didn't want to respond to temper _with_ temper, but if this kept up, he was going to have to do the boy a serious injury.

Which would, in turn, bring about some form of revenge by Yomi.

Maybe this _had_ been Yomi's idea.

Kurama shook his head a little as the boy picked himself up again; whether Yomi's idea, or the boy's idea, it didn't matter. This fight needed to end, and he was going to end it.

Yomi's son threw himself at the fox demon, who dodged again and again, working him into position. The indirect approach simply wasn't working; time to get more serious, and more... creative.

He waited for the boy to be fully committed to his 'demon spiral' attack, then seeded the ground where the boy would land, once the attack was expended. Carefully controlling the growth of the plants, even as he dodged the attack, he smiled a little as the boy landed right on one of the small puffball mushrooms.

The powder went immediately up the boy's nose, forcing him to cough and hack, staggering him onto more; it wouldn't kill him, but the puffballs were filled with spores that would put even the most powerful of demons to sleep.

"Y-you..." the child growled, staggering still further and releasing more spores.

"You fight well, but you lack discipline," Kurama said, arms folded loosely across his chest. "Like your father, your temper will be your undoing."

The boys watering eyes narrowed, and he became lined in yellow light... but the effect of the spores was stronger—at least temporarily—than his desire to keep fighting, and he collapsed face first into even more.

Kurama was not above a little bit of overkill if it meant he could just _leave_.

"Yomi, collect your child," he said coldly. "And teach him manners. Next time, I will not be so kind."

With the boy unconscious, there was no need for the other mushrooms... but he sowed the seeds randomly among the trees just out of spite, and laid a thick carpet behind as he walked away. If Yomi wanted to test his patience, well, he would reply in kind. The spores from those mushrooms would travel quite happily for _miles_.

* * *

Demons, Kimiko decided, were a pain in the ass. Not that this was anything new, but she definitely didn't appreciate this _particular_ one making a nuisance of himself. He was _definitely_ stalking Kokoda, and she was starting to lose what patience she had left.

Kokoda, at least, was helpfully oblivious, even going so far as to volunteer to carry the things she had decided to buy for a dinner she wasn't actually making. Shuuichi had taught her quite a bit on how to not be dangerous in the kitchen, but she wasn't inclined to push her luck while he was gone. It would be a bit hard to explain that she'd lit the stove on fire... again... because she had been impatient.

"Hey, can you wait here?" she asked, as they entered the busiest part of the open-air market. "I need to go find a washroom really quick..."

He nodded, and she ducked into the nearest building that looked like it would have one... then slipped out the back door, and wound her way quickly to an unobserved spot. Enough was enough; even if Koenma's guard was good, Kokoda was under her protection by nature of soon-to-be family. She took threats to her family _very_ seriously.

From her unobserved spot, she jumped between buildings until she was at a roof where she had a view, casting her senses out. The demon who had been following Kokoda was still there, and she pinpointed him on one of the more-deserted upper floors of an under-construction building. The work had ceased for the day, so he wasn't dodging humans...

Well, soon, he'd be dodging one.

Kimiko looked around, carefully plotting her path; while she could take an extreme amount of damage now, doing so unnecessarily was pointless. At least there was something to be said about people in the city; they almost never looked up.

The demon didn't either, not until he realized she was heading for him at considerable speed. He managed to throw up a fairly good block at the last second, all things considered, but it didn't save him from being launched across the mostly open floor of the building.

"I already told fish-face to fuck off," she said when the demon managed to sit back up again. "And enforced that by having some friends of mine drop his ass down a canyon in the mountains. You want a giant target painted on your skull too, or do you wanna just get back to demon world with your limbs still attached?"

* * *

Kurama shifted back to Shuuichi as he emerged from Demon's Door cave, breathing in the soft air of the human world and letting it out in a tired sigh. Getting in had been painfully easy, out... well...

Lightly he touched his ribs; the shift back appeared to have done them no lasting harm, at least, and once he called a cab, he could go home to Kimiko; she would scold him for it, but she would heal him too.

He looked forward to it. He had been half-afraid that he would have to spend weeks in demon world, trekking through the forests; coming back after only a day was almost a blessing.

Yomi's lack of retaliation was worrying, though. It couldn't last.

"Good thing I decided to wait here," Hiei snorted a little. "Couldn't take the air of home?"

"Hiei..."

"Mukuro wanted to know what you said to Yomi."

"My alliance is with the human world," Shuuichi said firmly. "I will not support Yomi's unification ambition, nor Mukuro's more anarchistic views, and if either of them bring armies into human world, I will fight with the people of this world to repel them."

"Hmph. Well. You have firm boundaries, at least. Mukuro should be satisfied with that. But are you?"

"I have a life here, Hiei. One that I am fond of," Shuuichi replied, digging into the bag he hadn't opened for more than a few moments in the demon world. "I know of no treasure greater than that."

"Sentiment. How unlike you."

But after a moment, the shorter demon just shrugged in a manner that suggested acceptance. Shuuichi didn't expect Hiei to entirely understand; their friendship was many things, but it was not always mutual recognition. Shuuichi had attained a goal he had never realized he'd had until it was laid bare at his feet; Hiei was still searching for a meaning to his life.

So Shuuichi just nodded a little, and smiled faintly.

"Will you be visiting often?"

"Maybe. Yukina seems insistent on living in this realm."

"Ah. Will you ever tell her?"

"I never intend to. It's... enough."

A brief moment of vulnerability flashed through Hiei's posture, spotted only because Shuuichi had been looking for it. It wasn't his place to push Hiei into saying something, but there would be... other opportunities.

"Very well. Do be kind enough to not die before we can invite you to the wedding," and he smirked a little at his friend as Hiei glared. "I only meant mine and Kimiko's, of course."

"Riiiiiight."

* * *

Kokoda was not where she had left him. Neither were the groceries. She'd checked the building she'd gone into, and several around it, growing more anxious with every passing moment; had she been suckered? Shuuichi would never forgive her if she let his step-brother get hurt...

A pulse of energy snapped her head up, and she found herself looking at a blank wall. Too many people were on the street for her to jump it, so she was forced to go around, finding her way to a back alley and then beyond, hissing irritated curses at herself and the world in general.

She did not expect the large, red-skinned, horned demon who looked... well, to be frank, more like he'd enjoy sitting n a recliner with a beer like an American football enthusiast. But he had Kokoda slung, unconscious, over one shoulder,and that put her back up immediately. Lavender energy coated her hands, and she shifted into a fighting stance.

"Put him down."

"Hey, hey, no need for that," he said, smiling affably. "I promise,I was just trying to make sure you found him okay. Those three were trying to haul him back to demon world whether he liked it or not."

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards a trio of... Kimiko blinked. She could really only see their legs, as they'd all been stuffed into trash cans, and seemed to have quite a bit of the food she'd bought on top of them. Gently, the large demon set Kokoda onto the ground, looking a bit sheepish.

"I'm afraid I caught him in the head when I turned to check on him. Poor kid dropped like a stone... And uh... sorry about the groceries."

Kimiko moved in cautiously, uncertain; her instinct said that this demon was being on the level, but at the same time, the fact that she had already clearly been duped—not to mention whoever Koenma was supposed to have guarding him regardless, something she was going to have a chat with her boss about in the morning—made her not so sure about anything. Keeping a wary eye on the large demon, she knelt to examine the younger man.

Kokoda was out cold all right, but the knock on the head didn't feel like it would leave any lasting harm. As for the groceries, well, they had been a make-work chore. After a moment she looked up at the demon, and nodded a little.

"Thank you. I wouldn't have been able to face my fiance if his brother had been kidnapped."

"The kid's gonna be okay then?"

"Mmhm. Now, tell me the truth; you're not an energy signature I've felt before, so why are you here on my turf? If you're looking for a fight, you'll get one..."

He blinked at her, then chuckled.

"You're a feisty human," he said, his tone approving. "You remind me of my wife, Koku."

The name rang a bell, and after a moment, Kimiko's eyes went wide.

"I remember her! I had to throw her drunk ass out of a bar!"

Now he laughed, a rollicking, cheerful sound that was impossible to mistrust. Despite herself, Kimiko had to smile a little.

"Yup, that sounds right. She does love her drink, and wanted to try human alcohol. Said it wasn't really worth the effort, but you made the night entertaining. I'm Enki, by the way."

Kimiko shook her head a little, carefully pulling Kokoda upright, and half over her shoulder. He wasn't going to wake up for a while; it was probably best to just take him back to the shop once she was done here.

"Kimiko. It's nice to meet you, I think... Really though, what brings you by? I encountered Koku _years_ ago, so it couldn't be that."

"Ah, right... we've got a bit of a problem in our world. You might know it?"

"Mmm.. Stalemate between Mukuro and Yomi, right?"

"That's the one," he sighed a little, running a hand over his curly hair. "We've stayed mostly out of it, you see; no one could really take Raizen's place when he died, and that piece of the realm has kind of fallen apart. But this stalemate between those two isn't doing anyone any favors. Demons are getting pressed into service whether they like it or not on _both_ sides, and frankly, we're all getting tired of it."

She nodded a little, absently adjusting Kokoda's weight.

"I can understand that, but why come here, to me?"

"Well, you were Genkai's student, right? She's something of a legend, even among us higher-class demons. So me and a group of friends talked it over, and decided I should come find you and see if there was a way you could help us. You're one of the most reasonable hunters around and all..."

She blinked. Though for a moment. Then sighed.

"Well, off the top of my head, I don't know. But I can put the question to my boss, and some other demons, and maybe as a group we can figure something out."

Enki beamed.

"Great! Should I check back in about a week?"

"Maybe two. That'll give me a chance to poll most everyone within reach, I think."

"Two weeks," he nodded. "Where at?"

"Do you know Demon's Door cave?"

"...I'm not very familiar with human world geography, no."

He looked so crestfallen that she had to giggle.

"If you go in that direction, just follow the highway, you'll find a cave system that overlooks the town. That's Demon's Door. It's a place where it's easy to create portals to demon world, or so I keep getting told. I'm not sure where it comes out at, but if you can meet me there, probably in the early evening, I can give you my ideas and we'll see which one of them might work."

Enki nodded, looking in the direction she'd indicated.

"Thanks, Kimiko. You're a nice kid!"

She snorted a little, and waved off the compliment in embarrassment.

"Well, you did help Kokoda, and got me out of a lot of trouble with Shuuichi, so it's only fair I try and help you in return. I need to get him home before he wakes up again though. I'm probably going to have a lot of questions to answer... You're okay getting out of the area unseen?"

"Yup. I know how to look human enough to pass, don't you worry about me! I'll see you in a couple weeks!"

Kimiko nodded, smiling a little again, then turned and started half-dragging Kokoda out of the alley, towards home. She was going to have to do a _lot_ of talking to cover for Shuuichi.

* * *

The sun had started to set by the time he made it back into town, paying a cab fare that felt almost like it was more than he'd spent on the way out. But it was good to see the shop, and better to feel Kimiko's muted energy from the top floor. He had texted her the moment he'd finished calling the cab company, but had never received a reply, which had left him worried.

He climbed the iron stairs slowly, feeling the ache in his ribs with every step; before he could push the key into the lock, the door was roughly pushed open, and he was almost bowled over by Kokoda, who jumped back in surprise at the sight of him.

"Shuuichi! You're-" Kokoda glanced over his shoulder, almost guiltily. "...did you hear any of that?"

"Is something the matter, Kokoda?" he asked, concerned.

"...We have to talk, but... Not here," Kokoda said, now distinctly uncomfortable. "I know you just got back, but can you come with me for a bit."

"...all right. Let me go and say hello to Kimiko, first."

Kokoda looked rather like he wanted to protest, but moved aside after a moment, allowing Shuuichi entrance into his own apartment. He found Kimiko picking up the shards of a cup, and muttering unkind things under her breath, most of them aimed at Kokoda.

"...Kimiko?"

She startled, dropping everything she'd collected; she hadn't been paying _any_ attention to her surroundings, and that meant something was wrong. But he couldn't deny the pleasure at watching her anger melt away into delight, and she was on her feet in a flash, reaching out to him. Her delight changed to concern the minute her hands touched his chest—he couldn't help but open his arms for a hug, conceal the wince of pain though he had.

"...You're _hurt_ ," she said, concern and a little bit of anger in her tone.

"Yes," he said simply. "And you seem to have had a rough day."

"Well, you wouldn't be wrong. Here, let me..."

She pressed her hands lightly to his chest and he sighed a little as coolness sank under his skin, lavender light flickering across her hands.

"You broke _four_ ribs. And cracked three more. I thought you were going to _talk_ to Yomi and Mukuro, not _fight_ with them."

He rested his hands lightly on her shoulders, the tension in her tone not entirely because of him being hurt.

"I did not fight either, nor did I meet with Mukuro," he said gently. "I told Yomi, and through Hiei, Mukuro will also know, that my alliance is here, with human world, and I will fight against any army that comes to harm it."

A troubled look crossed over her face, then she glanced towards the door.

"...you'd better go talk with Kokoda and reassure him that you know I'm a demon hunter," she sighed. "He's... kind of upset at me for not saying something about it earlier, won't listen to me when I say you know."

"This sounds like it has trouble written all over it."

One side of her mouth quirked into a rueful smile.

"You're not wrong, Shuu... but really, go talk to him. Try to calm him down?" She hesitated. "It might be time for you to admit your own secrets too. Or at least, the ones that could hurt your relationship with your family."

He studied her for a long moment; something _had_ happened. Something big. She was hedging, and that wasn't like her.

"...I will consider it," he said finally, lifting a hand to lightly caress her cheek. "Tell me everything when I get back?"

She leaned into his touch, and some of the tension ebbed as she nodded.

"I will. I'll be waiting."

He kissed her forehead.

"I'll return soon."

* * *

Kimiko sighed as she picked up the broken cup for the second time, this time actually getting all the pieces without dropping them again. Really, she'd been trying to _apologize_ to Kokoda for getting him involved at all, he hadn't needed to break the tea cup.

If she was being fair, he hadn't meant to do it; he'd knocked his elbow against it when turning to leave dramatically, and she hadn't been in position to catch it. But at the moment she didn't want to _be_ fair. Blaming her... really, it was _Shuuichi's_ fault, and _he_ was the one who needed to address this.

At least he was back now and _could_ address it. She'd been worried he be away for a long time, but it had only been a day. There was something comforting in that...

She tossed the pieces of the cup into an extra bag, before throwing them away, and turned to grab a dish towel as she pulled her thoughts away from Kokoda and back to the problem Enki had presented her with. How _could_ she offer a solution to that particular problem? Being considered a 'reasonable' demon hunter didn't mean she worked with demon world politics, it just meant that she didn't see the value in ending lives when they could learn still.

She rather heavily doubted either Yomi or Mukuro were interested in having a mediator for peace, though. If they were, it would have already been offered by one or the other.

Making herself a new cup of tea, she flopped into a kitchen chair and considered what little she knew about demon world. Koenma had once likened it to an infinite basement, with the ranking demons being S-class level. The idea that one demon could unifiy it was almost laughable, but by that logic, unification wasn't actually _necessary_. All you needed was a good mix of upper class demons, and someone to make a portal that lasted longer than a few moments.

Almost, it made her wish for that kikai barrier that had once separated the worlds. Sure a net wasn't the best option, it wasn't going to block _everything_ , but at the same time, blocking high level demons from messing around was a way of minimizing the risk.

After a moment she pulled out her phone and called her brother. Annoyingly, she just got his voice mail.

"Yuu, it's me. I have something I need you to help me with. Call me back."

She scowled a little at the phone, then sighed; he was probably in the middle of the dinner rush at the diner. Speaking of, she was still hungry, and since Kokoda had absconded with the actual cook of the household... She checked the time again, then half-shrugged; if she hurried, she could get some of her favorite take out. Maybe a full stomach would help her find a solution.

* * *

"Kokoda, I have known this from the day I met her," Shuuichi said patiently. "Kimiko is nothing if not forthright. The only reason we didn't tell you, or Father is simply because it's not a profession that's treated with a lot of respect. You and he have both expressed disdain for it in the past, not to mention your general disbelief in actual demons themselves."

Kokoda was much to old to sulk, but he was doing a credible impression of it. Shuuichi sighed a little, doing his best to curb his impatience. He loved his step-brother, truly, but he wanted nothing more than to be home, with a cup of his own tea, telling Kimiko about what had happened. No doubt by the time he got back, she'd be bursting with curiosity.

"And what would you have me do?" he asked pointedly. "If Kimiko doesn't fight, this area becomes quite a bit more chaotic, and people are in danger of being hurt. She doesn't enjoy it, but she does it because she is driven to help. She was trying to protect you, prevent you from being hurt."

"She didn't do a very good job of it," Kokoda muttered.

"She does what she can within the limits of her ability," Shuuichi replied calmly. "She's _human_ , Kokoda. We're not perfect beings. She likely left to deal with the overt threat, and didn't realize there were more insidious ones just waiting."

His step brother picked up the coffee he'd ordered, then put it down, untasted; Shuuichi heaved a mental sigh and had to admit that if this mess didn't blow over, he really wasn't going to have a _choice_ about telling the truth. Yomi's revenge would be somewhat inspired if it wasn't so troublesome, designed as it was to leave him in the weaker position.

But Yomi plainly hadn't reckoned on the lengths Kimiko would go to for family. Nor at the unexpected allies she garnered, though he didn't recognize the description of the demon who had fought to rescue Kokoda.

"I will see you home," Shuuichi said, shaking his head a little. "Take a day or two and recuperate, and think a little about what we've discussed. I would appreciate it also, if you didn't tell Mother and Father. I'd like to discuss this with them myself, with Kimiko."

Kokoda sighed a little, then nodded.

"All right... But you gotta talk to them soon."

"I intend to."

Though the topic was certainly something better approached in private...

* * *

Shuuichi returned before anyone called her back, and Kimiko wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"Kokoda's going to take a couple of days to calm down and recover, and he's agreed that it's something I should tell Mother and Father..."

"...you didn't tell him," she said after a moment, giving him a narrow-eyed stare.

"No," he said simply. "That sort of revelation will be difficult enough the one time. I did not want to give him a reason to go stomping away, or worse, in case someone else was watching and tried to harm him again."

While she couldn't exactly _argue_ with his logic, it felt rather like he'd copped out. After a moment she just sighed and shook her head a little, propping her chin in her hands. He went into the kitchen, and returned shortly with the kettle and his own mug, as well as a small plate of cookies she'd completely forgotten about.

"So," he said, settling beside her once he'd refilled her empty cup, "would you like to speak, or listen?"

"You first," she said promptly.

He inclined his head slightly, and began.


	30. Twenty-nine

Twenty nine

"A tournament?"

Kimiko's skepticism was palpable, though she could see Koenma leaning back thoughtfully. The compound had been the only place big enough for a 'council of war', so to speak, so everyone had taken a week off to come up and see what they could offer. Well, almost everyone; Keiko had elected to stay at home with baby Sayaka, as talk of demon world was unsettling for her, and both Botan and Yukina had decided to keep the store running while Koenma was away. Even Chu had arrived, for once not overtly drunk, and Kimiko could sense Hiei outside; listening in, though not contributing.

"Sure, why not?" Yusuke asked. "Give it a purpose instead of just dying against one another, make it something impressive."

"He does have a point," Koenma said after a moment, while the rest of the group was quiet. "While I heavily disliked it, the Dark Tournament was a good way of keeping apparitions and their ambitions in check."

"Oh, aye, up until that last one where everythin went boom in the face," Jin said a little sourly.

"That was the fault of Sakyo and the Toguros," Toya pointed out.

"But how is a tournament any _different_ from what they're doing?" Shizuru asked pointedly. "They're still dying at the whims of a ruler, and obviously the territory gains are what's important."

"Yomi's goal is unification of demon world, or as much of it as he can get," Shuuichi said thoughtfully. "His and Mukuro's armies are made up of lower level demons, the equivalent of cannon fodder, though I know both of them would heavily like to recruit the upper-class demons into their ranks."

"An open tournament," Yusuke said with a firm nod. "Whoever comes out on top is the one who can rule that patch of demon world."

"That's... a good lure," Toya said slowly. "But demons don't unify easily or well."

"If Yomi or Mukuro won, it'd be defeatin the purpose," Jin added. " _Especially_ Yomi."

"But there's the chance that it would also bring out some of the heavy hitters wot ain't been seen in decades," Chu said. "People that could womp them both if they put their minds t'it."

"Which could also cause problems for this world," Kimiko pointed out. "A contest like that, we could end up with someone _worse_ than Yomi or Mukuro."

"Or better," Yusuke countered.

"It's a gamble, but it might be a good one," Shuuichi said. "The trick will be convincing Yomi to fight for himself, instead of for his nation."

"Mukuro too," Koenma sighed. "Getting them to fight as individuals might be as difficult as getting this tournament idea off the ground at all."

"We can leave Mukuro to Hiei," Kimiko said. "He can probably figure out a way to get him to go along with it."

Shuuichi nodded in agreement.

"As for getting it off the ground, I believe once word spreads that it will be a structure free-for-all, there will be little trouble with finding funding," Shuuichi said with a dry smile. "Those who seek a good challenge with help simply for the chance to test their own abilities, and I doubt Yomi would allow himself to be shown up by failing to contribute. Mukuro as well; both are wealthy kings. A pity we don't know what happened to Raizen's fortune..."

"...and isn't there a chance we might get t'go back ta Maze Castle and plunder _that_ place?" Jin asked, a little eagerly.

"Well, Byakko's still in evidence, but he seems to be a bit... _less_ territorial. We've had that barrier down for quite a while now and he's mostly stayed in the castle on his own," Koenma said. "I doubt he'd just _let_ you walk in and take it, but it couldn't hurt to try."

"Or _ask_ ," Kimiko said pointedly, frowning at Jin, who had the grace to look abashed.

"And what happens after someone wins?" Kazuma asked. "What if they still wanna try and come take over?"

"Hell, Kuwabara, they'd have to get through five levels of fuck off," Yusuke replied, his tone between teasing and irritated.

"I mean, Yusuke's not _wrong_ ," Kimiko said before Kazuma could snap back. "But there's also the point that we'll have more warning. Right now we're just kind of waiting in a holding pattern, with no end in sight. If Yomi simply decided one day that he no longer cared about Mukuro, and instead wanted to make his own tunnel to this world, I doubt we'd get as much warning as we did with Sakyo's plan."

"And even there, we almost did not have enough," Shuuichi said quietly.

Koenma looked away, embarrassed.

"Knowing who the new ruler would be would allow us to find ways to watch them," Toya said, his tone thoughtful. "Then we'd know sooner rather than later about any plans that could negatively impact the human world."

Kimiko eyed the boys, then sighed.

"You just want a chance to fight in the tournament," she said dryly.

Jin grinned, Chu laughed, and Toya offered a light shrug of agreement.

"Well, why not? Could be a rip-roarin time," the suiken master replied.

"Don't look at me," Kazuma protested, holding up his hands. "Urameshi's the nutcase."

"Keiko would kill me," Yusuke snorted a little.

" _Keiko_ wouldn't have to," Kimiko replied with a frown. "You two aren't anywhere near powerful enough to even take on Jin, let alone someone like Yomi. These three, and anyone else on the mountain who wants to participate, are going to have t-"

She blinked. Then sighed.

"Damnit, okay, fine, tournament it is. I'll give Enki the idea, and see what his friends say, and _then_ we can start making concrete plans. Hiei can cover Mukuro, and if Mukuro can sucker Yomi into it, then _maybe_ we have a chance."

"And you said I don't have a brain," Yusuke said smugly.

"You _don't_. That's why I asked you to help me," she retorted. "It helps to have someone _else_ that thinks like these two."

She gestured to Jin and Chu. Koenma and Kazuma both snorted, and as the good-natured argument sprang up, that was the end of the discussion.

* * *

"Do you think it'll work?"

"Oddly, I do," Shuuichi said, lightly stroking her hair. "Yomi is a cooler head now, but I suspect that the idea that there is a _chance_ he could win will lure him in. If not him by himself, certainly the boy will come to fight eagerly enough."

She made a face, even as she leaned into the caress.

"I know that demons age differently, but it really bugs me to see them look so damn young and get involved in brawls."

He chuckled a little, kissing her forehead.

"An unfortunate effect of demon world, sometimes, is the need to defend yourself from a young age. It would be interesting if he won."

"...that would be hilarious," she admitted after a moment, and he felt her smile. "I don't think he'd actually enjoy it, though. Leading is hard work."

"And you do it quite well," he replied, nuzzling her temple gently.

"Huh? Oh, gods, no, not me!" she protested. "I can't even keep the circus in check when they get the ball rolling! I just figured it'd be easier to get everyone's opinions all at once, instead of one at a time."

"Ah, but it's to you they looked for a decision," he pointed out gently. "Even Koenma ceded authority to you on this matter, didn't you notice?"

"You're nuts," she grumbled a little.

"Well," and he let a teasing smile cross his face, "I am choosing to marry you."

She scoffed a little, and just lightly punched his shoulder.

"Brat."

Shuuichi just laughed gently, snugging his arm around her waist.

"We should probably get back to the actual planning of that soon," he said after a minute. "I'd like to have it before this business with the tournament comes to pass."

Kimiko nodded in agreement, then elbowed him gently.

"And you need to decide what you're going to tell your family. Given Kokoda's reaction, I don't expect your step-father will be terribly pleased either, at least, not with me, but you mother's sensible. She might even benefit from the knowledge."

Shuuichi was quiet, briefly tightening his hold on Kimiko for a moment; in all honesty, he couldn't bear the thought of what he thought Shiori's reaction to the truth might be. To have maintained the fiction for so long that he was an ordinary human, her very normal son, and to now rip it away?

"Shuu," Kimiko's voice was gentle. "Your mother loves you. Regardless of who you were in the past, you _are_ her son."

"...perhaps, but..."

She sighed, and smiled up at him ruefully.

"Well, we can always start small. I'll tell them I'm a demon hunter, and if you don't want to tell them that truth, you can say you're a hunter too. My partner, if you'd like," she offered. "Given that I told Kokoda I have some powerful enemies, that would be enough of an explanation for them, wouldn't it?"

It might, but it would also put the blame solely on her shoulders for the trouble that Yomi had tried to cause. Blame that lay with _him_ , not with her. And it may well turn them against her entirely, which would certainly strain the relationship far more in the long run.

Shuuichi sighed a little, and leaned his head against hers, just watching as everyone played in the surf. It was an offer kindly meant, but it only served to drive home that he was low on options. His family hadn't been attacked because of her, they had been attacked because of _him_ , and the nature of who he once had been. Had Kimiko and Koenma not been on their guards, forewarned and wary, there was a good chance he would have been forced into Yomi's service, just to ensure the safety of his human family.

Kimiko yawned a little, resettling herself against his shoulder. When he kissed her temple lightly she smiled up at him, warmth in her eyes.

"Hey, lovebirds!"

Kimiko's head snapped around at her brother's shout, just in time for them both to get drenched with a bucket of sea water. She shrieked as Yusuke burst out laughing, then jumped to her feet and gave chase. Shuuichi blinked, looked down at his now sodden clothing, then sighed. At least the water cut the rising heat; June was less than a week away, and soon, summer would truly begin.

"You okay there, man?"

Kazuma was shaking his head a little, clearly trying to not grin at what had just happened even as they watched Kimiko trip Yusuke right into the oncoming surf, then jump on him, putting him in a headlock.

"Yes. Startled, but unharmed. I suppose I ought to have seen that coming..."

Kazuma snickered a little.

"Guess he thought you two were looking a bit too serious. You guys okay?"

"Yes. We were discussing family matters, and how to approach telling dangerous secrets," Shuuichi admitted, wringing out his hair.

"Right, your mom doesn't know, huh? I get not telling their mom," and Kazuma jerked his thumb lightly at the rough-housing twins; Kimiko was currently getting the better of Yusuke, though how long it was going to last was anyone's guess. "Atsuko's kinda... yeah. Seems like a hard secret to keep, though."

"It's never been important. I admit, I keep hoping that if I delay, it will return to being a moot point. But..." he sighed a little. "If I do, there is a chance that Kimiko will be the one they blame for putting them in danger. She has indicated that she would accept that, it just..."

"Yeah, that's Kimiko all right," Kazuma shook his head a little. "S'long as it gets her people outta trouble, she doesn't care. Dunno how Yusuke got a sister like her..."

Shuuichi smiled a little as Kimiko was summarily thrown farther into the surf and came charging back at her brother again, clearly having as much fun as he was. How any of them had ended up with her friendship, how _he_ had earned her love...

It was humbling.

And she was right. He _did_ need to say something. Even if things fell through with his family... these friends would be here beside him.

"Do you think we should rescue him?" Shuuichi asked.

"Naaaaah. Lettim drown," Kazuma snickered. "Serves him right for throwing water on you guys."

* * *

"It was really the only idea we could come up with that seemed like it might be at all helpful," Kimiko said as she perched on the fence before Demon's Door. "Jin, Toya, and Chu seemed all for it, and even Koenma thinks there's a chance that things could turn out good."

"A tournament, huh?" Enki puffed contemplatively on a pipe as he watched the sun setting over the city. "I like it! Raizen would have loved it too, madhouse fighter that he was. Your brother's got a good head for this sort of thing!"

She laughed.

"Gods, don't tell _him_ that! He's such an absolute fight junkie, he'd probably try entering himself if he had the power level!"

"Well, if we can get it all set up, it could be fun to let humans enter! A human ruler wouldn't be any worse than a demon one~"

"Oh no, do _not_ look at me," and she held up her hands with a wry grin. "I'm not interested in ruling demon world, that's all on you lot. I'll be happy to come as an impartial witness and judge, but like hell I'm living there."

Enki chuckled a little, and lightly patted her head. He had clear control of his strength, as it felt only like a pat she might receive from Shuuichi, but the brief contact allowed her to sense the tightly controlled well of energy he carried within. While she had no real way to judge, she got the sense that Yomi and Mukuro were going to have quite the run for their money.

"Koku's gonna love this idea. A good brawl always makes her happy!" he chortled a little. "Don't you worry about our end, we'll figure out how to get it all set up. Hokushin's probably going to have a coronary~"

"Hokushin?"

"Raizen's former right hand," Enki explained. "It's mostly thanks to him that there's still a territory to go back to, even if it's a lot smaller than it used to be because of the other two. He'll know how to get into Raizen's treasure room so we can fund this and get the other two in on it."

Kimiko shook her head a little, smiling. It was _nice_ to have come up with something that looked like it would work. As she'd thought the week before, even if it _didn't_ come out all sunshine and roses, at least they would be aware of the future troubles.

"Hey, you don't mind visitors, right? Up at this compound place you've mentioned?"

"No, there's plenty of space. Master Genkai had a... lot of land, so it's a good, safe place for friendly demons and other apparitions to show up. My friends are up there, more than I am, though. Jin and Toya live at the temple, and there's a phone to make calls if they need me. Why?"

"Well, we might come visit," and he grinned a little at her surprise. "No fight, promise! Koku's said she wouldn't mind seeing you again, and some of our other buddies are interested too. They wanna see who inherited the scary legend of Genkai."

She couldn't help but giggle helplessly.

* * *

"No, Mother, I promise, this isn't something bad _,_ " Shuuichi said as he listened to the shower running in the bathroom. "It's just...important."

Kimiko had been in a good mood when she'd swung in the door, so he presumed her talk with Enki had gone well. He'd already been engaged in his conversation, so she'd just playfully run her fingers through his hair, then skipped off to said bathroom. Tempting to follow...

"Well, I'll talk to Kazuya, and see when he's got an evening free," Shiori said, and he could hear the concern in his mother's voice. "Is it about the wedding?"

"No, Mother," and he smiled a little, unable to help himself. "The wedding plans are proceeding as Kimiko wants. We're looking at the end of July for a firm date, and while she hasn't yet found a caterer she's willing to trust, she does seem to be somewhat enjoying it."

Shiori laughed softly.

"That's wonderful, Shuuichi," she said warmly. "Ah, Kazuya's car just pulled in. I'll have him call you later about what night would be a good one to meet. Tell Kimiko I said hello?"

"Of course. I love you, Mother."

"I love you too, Shuuichi."

He put the phone gently back on the cradle, then sighed a little. Even having made the choice to come clean, he knew this was going to be a difficult conversation. It couldn't be anything else.

The shower had gone quiet too, though he could still hear Kimiko moving around. She seemed, even, to be humming, a rarity; she was so convinced that she sounded like a dead frog she almost never sang, let alone hummed. After a few moments of debate, he went to knock on the door.

"Yeah? I'm almost done if you want to come in."

Invited, he opened the door and carefully stepped in. A soft wave of warmth passed over him, the scent of strawberries and lilacs brushing past his nose as he decided to sit outside the sliding door that separated the toilet and the bathing room.

"Your meeting went well?"

"Mmhm. Enki's all for it, and he thinks he can get enough enthusiasm going to sort of... get the ball rolling. He also want to visit the compound at some point in the future, which I said okay to, and called Jin about on the way home so that they wouldn't freak out by sudden S-Class visitors."

He smiled a little; she hadn't sounded so relaxed since they'd had their break after closing Sakyo's tunnel.

"That's good. Now we just need Mukuro and Yomi to go along with this, and we should have a functional distraction."

"Mmhm..."She was quiet for a minute, though he could hear her running the towel over her hair. "Shuu?"

"Mm?"

"You don't... want to get involved do you? In the tournament."

He was quiet for a moment, surprised by the question. True, the thought had crossed his mind, but power was... a tertiary concern these days. He had enough, and did not need more.

"No," he said finally. "I will not deny that I had considered it, but in the end it is not enticing. As I keep telling everyone who _tries_ to get me involved in demon world politics, I am quite happy in this world, and with this life."

The door slid open, and he definitely did enjoy looking at her towel-wrapped form, though mild lasciviousness was tabled when he saw the uncertain expression on her face. Gently, he drew her to him, settling her onto his lap so that he could kiss her temple and not the towel she had her hair in.

"...sorry," she mumbled after a minute, and he could tell she was blushing. "I'm terribly fretful lately, huh?"

"It's a fair concern," he said, lightly running his fingers over her shoulder. "Were I younger, still concerned with regaining lost power, I certainly would have jumped at the chance. Ruling my own kingdom in demon world was a goal I had as Kurama. But... as goals go, it has long since lost its appeal. I prefer the small amount of chaos you bring, to the large amount that would come from being a king."

"...I would protest that it's not _my_ fault, but it really is, huh?"

He chuckled a little, nuzzling her fondly.

"A little bit of chaos is good. It keeps me on my toes."

Kimiko snorted a little, relaxing subtly against him.

"Okay... um... could you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"...this is going to sound silly... But...I'm not really... I've been feeling kind of off for a while now," she finally managed. "So... I was going to go to a clinic tomorrow and see if maybe I'm coming down with something. Would you come with me?"

He kissed her forehead lightly.

"Of course."

He felt her relax more fully, and smiled a little; he'd admittedly been a bit worried he was going to have to nudge her into going, but she had at least decided to go for herself. It would be confirmation for him... hopefully.

"Was it Shiori you were talking to?"

"Mm? Oh, yes. Mother is going to talk to Father and see what night can be arranged for the... talk. She was worried at first that something had gone wrong in the wedding plans, or between us, and I had to assure her that it was important, but it was not along those lines."

It was her turn to wrap her arms around him, and squeeze gently.

"It'll work out okay, Shuuichi," she said encouragingly. "You'll see."

He nodded a little, then gave in to temptation, and lightly nipped at her neck. She squeaked, then elbowed him gently.

"Nu uh. If I'm going to have to go to the doctor tomorrow, none of that," she huffed.

"Alas," he chuckled a little, then kissed her cheek.

* * *

"...Kimiko? Are you okay?"

She just continued to blink in a daze, still at a loss for words. The doctor visit had been easy enough, as much as she generally disliked such things, right up until the doctor had told her, with some disapproval, that she was pregnant. She wasn't quite sure how they'd gone from the office to a park, or where the cards for midwives had come from, but she was quite sure of one thing.

Of everything she'd expected _that_ was definitely not it.

When an ice cream appeared in front of her face, she startled and finally looked up into the somewhat amused, gently concerned face of Shuuichi. She took the cone, and when he sat next to her, leaned on him, feeling more than moderately overwhelmed.

"Breathe, Kimiko," he said gently, one hand lightly resting on her back. "Deep breath."

She tried, and found that it helped... for about thirty seconds. Then she turned to look up at him as anxiety washed through her. It didn't seem _fair_ that he was so calm.

"What do I _do_?" she asked, somewhat panicked. "I didn't... this isn't...!"

His hand slid up to curl gently over her shoulder.

"You breathe," he said firmly. "Calm down. There are options, Kimiko, but you need to be calm to consider them."

"How are _you_ calm?" she demanded.

"I suspected a while back," he said after a moment, green eyes watching her face carefully. "I was hesitant about speaking because you have expressed a general dislike of hospitals, and I couldn't quite... come up with a tactful way to say I thought you might need to see a doctor. And the changes were so gradual, I though perhaps I could be wrong."

His steady, even tone helped, but she caught that slight flick of his eyes and scowled. He was _lying._ He was lying right to her face! He'd known for sure all along that she was pregnant and he hadn't said a _word_ about it!

He met her eyes steadily though, and she found her anger ebbing. Maybe he wasn't being completely honest, but... well... Even if he'd known from the start, she had to admit that she would have fought him on it if he'd tried to make her go before she was ready. Stubbornness was not unique, but she and Yusuke both could take it to extremes at times. It got worse when someone was trying to get them to do something for their genuine good.

Kimiko sighed and finally started paying attention to her ice cream, which was starting to melt.

"Sorry..." she muttered, still feeling irritated, but not enough to bother with holding a grudge.

The hand on her shoulder squeezed gently, and he seemed inclined to wait patiently while she rescued her dripping cone from melting all over her hand. By the time she finished the treat she genuinely _was_ feeling calmer, if no less worried.

"Shuu, this is a _bad_ time for a baby," she finally said., frowning a little down at her knees. "Never mind not being married yet, the demon world tournament is going to take _months_ to set up, and I really don't think being vulnerable in any way will be a good idea. With my luck, I'll either end up being round and unwieldy, or I'll have an infant with me."

Round and unwieldy would admittedly be worse; if anyone touched her child, they would quickly find themselves eviscerated.

"These things take time to set up," he responded calmly. "Undoubtedly it will be at least a year, if not more, before we actually see the tournament come to fruition."

A year wouldn't be too bad, but she was not as certain of that as he was. And even if he _was_ right, that would still leave her with the problem of a baby. She couldn't leave an infant behind, but would it be safe to bring it to the demon realm?

His hand gently squeezed her shoulder.

"Kimiko, I will accept whatever decision you wish to make here," he said quietly. "If you feel the time is not right, then we can thank the child for trying to be born and try again another time when we are more prepared."

"I... I don't know. I need to think about it. Don't tell anyone?"

He nodded a little, and kissed her temple lightly.

"Not until you know what you want to do," he said gently. "I promise."

* * *

It wasn't the first time Shuuichi had brought Kimiko to eat with his family, but tonight he needed her for more than just the company she willingly provided. Her support, and her encouragement was going to be needed to make it through the quiet confession he needed to make.

The meal was a moderately tense affair; Kokoda was still not entirely pleased with the sequence of events that Kimiko had fabricated—more or less—to explain why he'd almost been kidnapped by demons, even if he hadn't said anything to their parents. Shuuichi could tell both Kazuya and Shiori had picked up on this tension, even if they didn't know why. It wasn't until they left the restaurant and returned to the home Shuuichi had grown up in for tea that the subject was broached.

"So, I haven't exactly been the most honest with you three," Kimiko said easily. "For which I offer apologies, and would like to point out that sometimes people keep secrets to keep others safe. But, in this case, it's already caused more trouble than I like, so I thought it was time to come clean. So to speak."

The two older adults exchanged surprised looks. Kokoda looked like he was torn between being upset and amused at her flippant tone.

"I don't _just_ work at an esoteric store," she continued. "I'm a demon hunter. Or, well, a demon thumper. A lot of demons stumble into cities. Some do it by accident, some on purpose to escape the demon world; others because humans are their favorite food, or they want to cause trouble. The ones I deal with are mostly in the latter category. By now," and Kimiko smirked a little, "I've got something of a reputation, so they're actually quite minimal in my territory."

Shiori looked less surprised than Kazuya, who seemed affronted.

"I'm saying this now because a few weeks ago, I was tricked, and Kokoda was almost kidnapped. I got lucky; an ally came to my aid, and though he, ah... unintentionally knocked Kokoda out, he also was the reason I was able to keep him safe."

"Shuuichi? Did you know this?" Kazuya barked.

"I've known since I met her," Shuuichi replied calmly. "I tended to her injuries when we first met. It was a very... dramatic meeting."

Kimiko giggled, nodding a little. Despite the tenseness of the situation, he couldn't help but give her a fond smile, remembering that night all too well.

"But... in the case of Kokoda, she is not the one to blame." Shuuichi took in a breath, then let it out slowly. "I am."

"...are you a demon hunter too, then?" Shiori asked softly.

"Not... quite, Mother," he replied, finding himself unable to look at any of the humans seated opposite him. Kimiko's hand came into view and wrapped around one of his. Taking comfort from her presence he lifted his head a little. "I am a demon."

The silence was absolute. Shiori's eyes went wide, and her face pale. Kokoda and Kazuya both stared.

"In my past life, I was a demon named Yoko Kurama," he continued quietly. "A bandit and thief, with a fearsome reputation that was not unearned. I garnered my fair share of bounty hunters and eventually, one of them got lucky enough to wound me in such a way as I needed a place to hide and recover. I placed myself within the body of the unborn child of Shiori Minamino, and thus, became her son. Recently, my identity was discovered by a former ally of that past life, whom I believed dead. Because I went and told him that I would not help him, he struck out at all of you. It is thanks to Kimiko and her employer that the three of you are still safe..."

He found himself unable to even glance towards his mother, and tightly held Kimiko's hand. If Shiori rejected him for this...

"It's not a possession," Kimiko said into the thunderous silence. "The person you know as Shuuichi Minamino truly _is_ Shuuichi Minamino. His energy is just... different. I hesitate to use the phrase 'not like other demons' because that's generally used to excuse all sorts of bad behaviors, but in this case, it's very genuine. Shuuichi sits in the middle road, somewhere between the two. He has the strength and abilities of a demon to call upon, but mostly..." She shrugged lightly. "He is just wholly and honestly himself. He loves you three, and this world, and has fought with me to protect it."

He was perhaps not as honest as Kimiko was portraying, but he had never felt the need to hide or be secretive with her. Their unique first meeting had negated that all too well, so she was used to him being as honest as she was, if not quite as blunt.

Shiori got up abruptly, and came to sit down on Shuuichi's other side, firmly turning his head so that he had to look at her. Her expression was... a little sad. A little hurt. But mostly it was filled with the warm love he had seen every day of his life.

"Shuuichi," she said, softly. "I always thought you carried some great secret, even if I could never guess at what."

"...Mother, I..."

She just hugged him, and he let his head come to rest on her shoulder. He didn't have to see Kimiko to know that she was smiling at them both, but he felt the change in her when she shifted towards Kazuya and Kokoda. A swift glance up showed that Kokoda looked stunned, unable to process, while Kazuya looked like his temper was starting to fray.

"This... this is just..." the older man started to bluster.

"It's not _just_ anything," Kimiko said shortly. "Shuuichi is who he is, as am I. Demons are people, just like you and Kokoda over there, with different wants and desires. Shiori showed him what it was to be beloved as a human, and in return, he has loved and protected her all of his life. These secrets come out now because you should know why some things might get a little... _odd_ for a while."

Shuuichi took in a breath and lifted his head off of his mother's shoulder; he couldn't let Kimiko take _all_ the burden of speaking... Shiori smiled at him and kissed his cheek lightly.

"You are my son," she said simply. "My Shuuichi."

"Odd _how?_ " Kazuya demanded.

"I rejected my former ally's request to join him," Shuuichi replied, feeling steadier now that Kimiko's prediction had proven correct. "In retaliation, he attempted to kidnap the humans I consider family. Kokoda was the only one with whom he almost succeeded."

"In the case of you and Shiori, my employer has had people keeping watch around the clock to prevent such a thing," Kimiko explained. "Kokoda was with me at the shop; so long as he was within my territory, he was thought to be safe. I... made a mistake, and went after the demon who was making himself a target, not realizing that we had been followed by others who are much better at masking their energy. While I dealt with that one, the other three lured Kokoda to an out of the way area, where they tried to make off with him. They instead ran into an ally of mine, and he made them regret trying it."

Kazuya looked at Kokoda, who nodded a little bit, still clearly having trouble with processing the fact that the older step-brother he had idolized all his life was... well, _different_.

"Right now, we have a plan in the works that is meant to keep Shuuichi's old ally off his back, among other things," she continued. "And we have people that are keeping an eye on you in rotation. You shouldn't notice any of them, but if you do, and they make you nervous, you can always let me know. We can either introduce you, or we can tell them to keep even more out of sight, whichever would make you most comfortable."

Shuuichi looked at the three humans; Shiori had moved back over to sit with her husband, who seemed calmer now that she was near. Kokoda seemed to still be stunned, but starting to accept it, whether he liked it or not. It was probably the best he was going to get for the moment.

"We'll be going now," he said after a moment, gently tugging on Kimiko. "Please know that I understand if you feel it's to dangerous to remain... close to me at the moment. But you are my family, and I will do all within my power to keep you safe."

Shiori smiled at them, and nodded. Kazuya had shifted from anger to confusion, and like he was having a hard think, while Kokoda. Well. He was going to need to get used to the idea, that much was clear.

It was almost a relief to escape into the warm, late spring air, to wrap his arm around Kimiko as they walked to the station.

"See?" And she smiled up at him. "I told you your mother would be okay with it."

"You did," and he smiled back, admittedly relieved by that particular outcome. "You are very good at reading people."

"Oh, well," she waved a hand a little awkwardly, blushing a bit. "Not really. Shiori, she... she's the accepting sort, is all. She didn't put up much of a fuss about what happened when we met, even though I never really explained, and she seemed really happy when we admitted we were engaged. I just figured..."

He kissed her cheek lightly.

"Kimiko, accept the compliment," he teased gently.

"Never~"

He chuckled a little, and hugged her close. That was one less hurdle to deal with. Now they just needed to hear about the tournament...

* * *

"It's taken root," Hiei said, leaning casually against a tree. "Mukuro thinks it's a crazy idea, but anything is better than continuing the war that never ends; she's in."

Kimiko blinked a little, raising an eyebrow at the laconic demon. After the upset that had been Shuuichi revealing the truth, Kokoda had taken a couple weeks off to wrap his head around the idea, which meant _she_ was the one meeting Hiei instead of Shuuichi.

"And what about Yomi?" she asked after a minute.

Hiei smirked.

"His son was one of the first to sign up; Yomi could hardly let that stand, so individual fighting it is. That idiot you call a brother actually came up with a good idea."

"...you are not the first to tell me that," she said with a resigned eye roll. "So, give me more details. Have they figured out where the fights will take place, and when they'll be held? I'm guessing everyone who can is training like mad to get into top form before then."

Hiei nodded a little.

"Gandara city, being the most technological, will be where spectators can watch," he replied. "Word is spreading quickly. Soon there may well be more fighters than can actually be useful."

"So, elimination rounds, and then typical tournament brackets," she suggested. "Who's actually _organizing_ the tournament, though?"

"Beats me," and he shrugged a little.

"...you're so helpful."

"I could have left you completely in the dark," he retorted. "I gave up my own time to train to give you this information."

"All right, all right, jeez. Thank you, Hiei."

Next time she was going to ask Enki, or see what Koenma knew; he _had_ to be keeping up on this sort of thing, didn't he? Hiei snorted a little, and turned to go, and Kimiko blinked, then reached out and caught his sleeve.

"Hey, hang on a second. You need to take this."

He glared a little, then snatched the envelop from her hands, peering at it dubiously.

"What is it?"

"Your wedding invitation, of course. You don't have to come if you'd rather not, but I know Shuuichi would like it; you're one of the few friends he's inviting," and she smiled a little at Hiei's expression. For a moment that arrogant facade had fallen, revealing a bit of wonder and pleasure at the term, before quickly closing up again. "Yukina's already agreed to come; she's going to be staying at the compound for a few days to help us set up and get all the food and stuff ready."

"...I see. I'll think about it."

"All right. Well, we hope to see you there~"

He snorted a little, then headed off. She watched for a bit, and then turned to head home herself, a faint smile on her face. He really was an ass, but he was a good friend too.

Most of the time, anyways.

* * *

"Shuuichi?"

"...Mmm?"

"I think... I think I want to keep the baby. I know there's nothing logical about it, and it might not be safe, but..."

Lightly he kissed her forehead.

"I will be here to protect you. Always."

She smiled, and snuggled up to him.

"I love you, Shuuichi."

"And I love you." A pause. " _Both_ of you."


	31. Thirty

Thirty

"Okay, we're all here, it's like, the _ass_ end of morning sis," Yusuke grumbled.

"It is not," she rolled her eyes tolerantly. "It's noon, you dip."

"Whatever. What's so important that we all need to squeeze in here?"

Kimiko grinned a little, looking at the expectant faces. It had taken her about a week to arrange for a day where she could get them all in the same room,Yusuke's complaining aside, and again they had all tromped out to the compound, human and demon alike. It was going to be one of those bombshells she only want to drop _once_ , after all.

"I'm pregnant."

Yusuke, Kazuma, and Jin had identical reaction; their heads tipped to the side as their eyes went wide and mouths dropped open slightly. Koenma looked somewhere between resigned and pleased—no doubt thinking about the day she was going to have to quit working both at the store, and as a demon hunter—while Botan, Yukina, and Keiko all looked delighted. Shizuru and Toya seemed pleased as well, though they were much more subtle about it. Chu looked almost like he'd found someone with a harder head than his, while Rinku just looked confused; Shishiwakamaru had a poker face almost as good as Hiei, but she _thought_ they seemed pleased, while Suzuki had a contemplative look on his face.

The stunned silence lasted only a few moments, and then everyone tried talking all at once. Kimiko couldn't help but laugh, and leaned comfortably against Shuuichi as the questions came flying at her.

"Since when?!" Yusuke demanded, once his brain came unstuck.

"Late March, early April. Somewhere in there. Not long after we blew up the tunnel."

"What're you goin t'do?" Jin asked.

"Be more specific."

"Well, the tournament..."

"I was never going to enter that. Watch, sure, but not enter. I can oversee your training though~ I remember Genkai's methods."

There was a collective shudder from all the would-be fighters in the room, save Hiei who only looks coldly amused.

"What about protection while you're there?" Toya asked. "Before or after?"

"I do not intend to leave her side," Shuuichi replied. "Though the date of the tournament is not yet set, so we seem to have more than enough time."

"I will quite cheerfully end _anyone_ who tries to hurt my baby," Kimiko added, her tone pleasant enough that a collective chill went through the room.

"Strewth, I'd believe that," Chu muttered.

"Do you know what it'll be yet?" Botan asked eagerly.

"No. I go to my first pre-natal this week, though, so we might find out. We haven't decided yet."

"When are you due?" Keiko asked.

"Probably around late December, early January."

"Does this mean the wedding's getting moved up?" Yukina asked, head tipping curiously.

Kimiko snickered, shaking her head a little.

"We filed registration last week, once we found out for certain she was pregnant," Shuuichi replied, amusement in his tone. "The celebration, however, is still set for the end of July."

"Wait, what?!" Botan gave Kimiko an accusing stare. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"And miss the group reaction, are you serious?" Kimiko grinned. "It's not like anything's _really_ changed. I'm going to be working until I either get unwieldy around the stores, or I have the baby, whichever happens first."

"No way!" Yusuke protested.

"Yes way. I'll go absolutely stir crazy if I don't have anything to do, Yuu. As long as I don't do any heavy lifting, I'll be fine."

"You know what this means?" Shizuru said with a grin. "Shopping trip~"

"Oh hell."

Now it was her friend's turn to laugh as Kimiko pulled a face. Shuuichi chuckled at well, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

"When are you gonna tell Mom?" Yusuke asked.

"...before the baby's born?"

"We haven't yet told my family either. There have been some... complications recently, so things are a bit strained," Shuuichi put in.

"I could tell Atsuko for ya," Chu offered.

"No, I should probably tell her myself, but thanks, Chu," Kimiko grinned wryly. "Mom would probably just think you're drunk, like always."

"'Ey, it's not _my_ fault I practice drunken kung fu," he protested.

"Yes it is," Rinku retorted, rolling his eyes. " _You_ practice it!"

"He does have a point," Suzuki smirked.

"So, are you going to retire from being a demon thumper?" Koenma asked.

"Don't plan on it," Kimiko shrugged a little. "But it'll be a few years before I ought to. I can train people though~"

"You're gonna train while being pregnant?" Kazuma asked, his tone somewhere between skeptical and worried.

"Exercise is healthy, and training other people doesn't mean I spar with them Kaz," she pointed out wryly. "Even using Master Genkai's methods, it doesn't mean I'm going to actually be that involved, and these goons," she gestured with fond amusement to the demons, "are going to want to be even stronger to put up a proper fight in the tourney."

"...we're doomed," Jin said after a moment, looking at Toya. "Think maybe it's too late t'take it back about bein ruler of demon world?"

"Probably," Toya replied, looking somewhat concerned himself.

Kimiko just snickered.

* * *

Telling both families went fairly simple; Kazuya and Kokoda both offered somewhat stiff congratulations, while Shiori and Atsuko were both delighted that they were soon to have a grandchild. Enki too, when he popped in to visit, seemed utterly thrilled at the idea, and promised that if she did come to watch the tournament like she'd said, he would make sure no one even _thought_ to try and cause trouble. While Kimiko wasn't entirely sure _how_ he could promise that, the fact that he did made her feel quite pleased.

Given how abruptly the idea for the tournament had come about, the tentative date for it was currently placed in early April, and the news of it had spread like wildfire; demons were—according to Enki, who seemed heavily amused by the prospect—pouring in from all parts of the realm, looking to sign up and earn their chance at being the ruler of such a large swathe of land.

Koenma, of course, was less thrilled about this, but there wasn't much he, or anyone in Spirit World, could do about it. The ball was not just rolling, it had gained far more momentum than they had all anticipated, and he was hard-pressed to keep up with some of the information that was pouring in.

"So far, there's over two thousand demons who have registered to fight," he said with a tired sigh. "Not including your friends."

"Well, we did kind of know this was going to happen," Kimiko pointed out, not unreasonably. "That's why you're keeping an eye on it. How are the preparations going?"

"There's definitely going to be a series of elimination rounds," he replied, rubbing his forehead lightly. "With this many demons, there's no other choice in the matter. No doubt Yomi and Mukuro will make it past those easily enough..."

"But they'll still have to expend some power to do it, and the more they have to fight, the better. Besides, I've set the boys to training~" she grinned a little. "They've got almost a whole year to do it, so it won't just be Yomi and Mukuro having a staredown."

"You are rather terrifyingly optimistic about this."

"Oh, I'm totally prepared for everything to go to shit," she said dryly. "But given how different a relationship I have with the demons I tend to encounter, I also feel that it might not be _as_ bad as everyone's worrying."

He sighed a little, and shook his head.

"Given that you _are_ in charge of their training, are you going to be staying around much longer?"

Kimiko made a face.

"You would ask that..." She sighed a little. "Honestly, I haven't yet made up my mind. They don't really need me to give them oversight, but I would like to try and keep track of what they need to work on. And Shuuichi's pointed out that it would be safer for me to be pregnant up there, where there _are_ so many powerful demons to keep an eye on me, not just him."

"He's not wrong, you know. Once you start showing, word will spread pretty quickly, and you could get challengers on your doorstep, thinking to take advantage of your current state. All it would take is one lucky hit..."

"I know, I know... I told him I'd make a decision by the time we had the wedding. I'm still thinking about it."

"Well, you'd better think fast," and Koenma smiled a little wryly. "That's only two weeks away."

"Don't remind me..." she sighed a little. "At least everything is mostly handled, though I still don't know how I let Shizuru talk me into that damn dress."

Koenma snickered; given that he'd probably overheard her make the complaint several times, she just stuck her tongue out at him. None of them had _seen_ the dress yet, save Shizuru, and while Kimiko would admit that it was a nice dress, it was way _too_ nice. If it survived the wedding, she would honestly be surprised.

"In any case, once I've figured it out, you'll be one of the first to know."

* * *

"You know it's the wiser course of action," Shuuichi said, frowning a little.

"That doesn't mean I want to be out there for almost a year," she replied, arms crossed defensively over her chest.

He sighed a little, running a hand through his hair. She was being stubborn again, and he wasn't entirely sure as to why. True, she had said before that she enjoyed life in the city, and he couldn't fault her for that. More happened here than it did in the compound. But she had also _volunteered_ to be in charge of training, and she couldn't very well train them if she wasn't there to observe.

"Kimiko, it isn't as if the store is going to disappear if you're away for a while," he tried again. "Nor will the beneficial things you've done for this area fade away in such a short amount of time. You are simply going to the compound to train your friends, and be protected while you are more vulnerable than usual."

He saw her eyes narrow; her temper had become a bit more volatile lately, due in part to the wedding finalization, but mainly it was pregnancy hormones. While not walking on eggshells, they were all humoring her just a little bit more. The problem, of course, was that Kimiko didn't want to _be_ humored. She wanted to be treated the same as ever, and didn't quite seem to get that it wasn't possible.

Which made all of this _far_ more complicated than necessary.

So he watched her carefully, and tried not to be too frustrated when she simply turned on her heel and stomped her way to the bathroom. A shower and a soak would hopefully calm her down...

After a moment he decided to step outside, pulling out his phone as he did so. Perhaps her brother would be able to give him the necessary answers.

"-sweing your phone! Hello?"

Or Keiko could do too.

"Keiko, hello," he said, doing his best to sound pleasant.

"Oh, hello Shuuichi! Sorry, Yusuke's got his hands full right now... Is something wrong?"

"No, not really. I had a question I wanted to pose to him is all, in regards to his sister."

"Uh oh. What's Kimiko doing now?" Keiko asked, her tone knowing.

" _I bet she's being difficult!_ " he heard Yusuke holler.

"...Well, he's not incorrect," Shuuichi admitted with a tired chuckle. "It's come up recently that since she agreed to oversee the training for her friends that she would need to spend more than just a day here and a day there up at the compound. I also think it would be good for her to simply stay there until the child is born, as she would be surrounded by protections and protectors. She is... being stubborn."

"Hang on, I'm gonna put the phone on speaker... Okay, so Kimiko's being stubborn about staying at G... the compound?"

"Well duh," Yusuke said as Shuuichi made an affirmative noise. "Sis has always been kind of terrible about being taken care of. You remember the time we both got sick back in grade school?"

Keiko sighed; clearly, she did.

"What happened?" Shuuichi asked.

"She proved who was more stubborn, that's what," Yusuke snickered a little. "She refused to _be_ sick!"

"It's not funny, Yusuke. She had to stay for three days in the hospital because of it!" Keiko scolded. "And half the reason was because she was trying to make _you_ behave too, you know."

"Yeah yeah. Point is, Sis is the caretak _er_ , not the caretak _ee._ She's gonna hate being tucked away in a place for her own protection, even if she's got somethin important to do."

"I hate to say it, but he is right," Keiko sighed again.

"Hey!"

"And it's probably just going to get worse because of the _reason_ she really should go up there," she continued, ignoring Yusuke's annoyance.

"Yes," and it was Shuuichi's turn to sigh. "She is worried about the baby, I know, but she is also being stubborn about doing it her own way."

"So out-stubborn her," Yusuke suggested. "C'mon man, I know your standard with her is to back down a bit and let her get away with it, but you gotta put the foot down on _some_ shit."

"Yes, because that worked _so well_ with you," Keiko teased, her voice full of wry amusement.

Yusuke sputtered a little, making both Keiko and Shuuichi laugh.

"Maybe try putting it in different terms, and leave out the fact that it's for her too," Keiko said after a moment. "She was pretty upset about Genkai pushing her into moving in with you, even though she saw the logic to that one too."

"This is true..." Shuuichi frowned thoughtfully. "She was relatively put out by that one for quite sometime, even if it has been ultimately beneficial."

"She's gonna be annoyed no matter what," Yusuke said. "Maybe she just needs a good argument. Helps Keiko sometimes."

"Yusuke!"

He heard Yusuke yelp, though it wasn't easy to determine whether he'd been hit or kicked. Probably the latter, though, what with the baby.

"I swear, you have no filter at all," Keiko huffed.

Yusuke snickered a little, and Shuuichi had to smile. True, there was probably something to having it out, but he was willing to bet that Yusuke's mind had been more on the 'making up' part than the actual fight.

"I will take your advice into consideration, of course," he said, amused. "Though I suspect right now it may be wiser to simply give her the space to come to the proper conclusion without the necessity of a fight."

"Hey, if you need back up, we can all dog-pile her."

"Yusuke, that would have the _opposite_ effect you're thinking of," Keiko said dryly. "She's just get even _more_ stubborn, not let everyone wear her down."

Shuuichi had to chuckle a little in agreement.

"There's a first time for everything!" Yusuke argued.

"Perhaps, but let's hold that idea in reserve," Shuuichi replied. "You, after all, are a train ride away, while I am not."

* * *

The shower and bath had cooled her temper some, even if they hadn't helped her with coming to a decision. It was stupid to brood and resist when she knew he was right, but she just... didn't want to go.

She couldn't decide if it was funny or sad that the idea of spending time away from him was what she was fighting against the most. They would be in the same world, he would be a phone call away, a literal _train ride_ away, and yet the idea of not seeing him as often as she wanted...

"I'm just an idiot," she sighed, sinking down a little in the bath so she could blow bubbles into the water.

It was both more and less simple than that, of course; seeing him regularly was just one of the bigger parts. She also wanted to be able to pick out furniture for the baby, in a slightly less precise manner than Keiko. She wanted to be able to decide what colors to paint the room, where they were going to put the furniture Shuuichi had bought specifically for her...

She even sort of wanted to look at houses, because while she would be sensible about it, she didn't want to have only the one child, and they would need more room eventually anyways.

The last of her irritation slid away, and Kimiko drew her knees carefully up to her chest. She was being an idiot all right, but it wasn't like she could really articulate this sort of thing _too_ Shuuichi. He loved this place. He enjoyed running the shop, and living over it gave him an ease of access she didn't want to take away from him. And she knew if she _did_ bring it up, he would likely go along with what it was that she wanted, because that was simply what he _did_.

It wasn't like the compound was painfully isolated either; even if her humans friends weren't precisely within reach, the demon ones were. And the town itself was a fifteen minute cab ride away, even if it wasn't as large a place as where she lived.

She grumbled a little to herself, and climbed out, toweling off, then giving the bathroom a brief going over before she stepped back out.

"Shuuichi..?"

A quick glance about showed that he wasn't in evidence, and she felt her heart sink; she had probably upset him then, and he had left to give himself a break from her. After all who _wouldn't_ need a break from her? She was impossibly stubborn, being difficult about something that should have been sensible and straightforward.

Gloom settled in, taking up the space the anger had vacated, and she plodded over tot he couch and curled up onto it.

* * *

The apartment was quiet and still when Shuuichi walked back in from tending to the greenhouse; working with the plants had been calming, and allowed him to think about Yusuke's and Keiko's advice about how to talk with Kimiko. He still hadn't quite come to a conclusion,though he was starting to think that Yusuke might well be correct. He would have to be firm, and insist, even if it did lead to an argument.

It wasn't the sort of stillness that suggested empty; he hadn't heard the door close while he'd been working and part of him had been listening, hoping that she would come down and sit with him and they could talk calmly. She was still here, it was just... quiet. Perhaps she had decided to take a nap?

In his defense, she was sitting so still and silent that he walked right by her, going to check their room first, then hers in case she was feeling more touchy than he thought. Spotting her on the couch had him somewhere between startled and relieved; the way she huddled there made him concerned.

Carefully, he made his way over until he could sit next to her, and very lightly touched her hand.

"Kimiko?" he murmured. "Are you all right?"

She wasn't _physically_ hurt, that much was easy to discern, but she didn't seem like she was okay either. While it was entirely probable that this was just the mood swings he'd read about, it never hurt to be certain.

So he nudged her lightly again, scooting a little closer, and had to smile a bit when he realized she really _was_ asleep. He shook his head a little, and carefully shifted her until he could pick her up; this position would give her an ache in her neck _and_ her back... much better to rest in a bed.

Kimiko didn't stir much when he picked her up, though she muttered something that sounded like a vague complaint, and one of her hands wrapped in his shirt. It was when he tried to put her down that he found himself a bit... well, _stuck_. She had a tight grip in his shirt and it didn't seem like she was inclined to let go any time soon.

He considered her for a moment, then shook his head and kissed her forehead.

"What am I going to do with you?" he wondered softly as he nudged her a little more over and curled up next to her.

She just mumbled something else—he was willing to swear he heard something about squirrels in pajamas—and snuggled up to him in small increments. He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled softly, brushing his fingers lightly over her hair; she had left it loose, probably not meaning to fall asleep like that, but it allowed him to play with her hair, admiring the golden and black strands as they twined around each other and his fingers.

Being not entirely sleepy, he nevertheless ended up drowsing a little while Kimiko napped, though a small part of him remained on alert in case she shifted from peaceful sleep to a nightmare. He had talked her down carefully from a few these past couple weeks, induced, or so he suspected, by stress even if she wasn't admitting to it.

Luck, however, seemed to be with him; she woke slowly, and seemed generally disinclined to move, even though he was quite aware that she was awake.

"...I don't want to be alone," she finally said softly. "And I know... I know it's not really alone, Jin and Toya and everyone will be keeping me hopping, but it still feels like... alone."

He kissed her forehead, and she pressed her face against his shoulder briefly. That was one of the things she was always circling around, he knew; no longer in her brother's shadow, but still never quite sure enough that she was being seen for herself, that they were there because of her. No doubt made worse by hormones, and whatever other worries she was harboring.

"You don't want to live at the temple forever, am I correct?"

She shook her head a little.

"I love it, it's... it's a good place, but it's a home _away_ from home, where I can go when I need peace, or to train. It's...it's not a place I want to stay at for the rest of my life, even if I end up.. I don't know, becoming a teacher like Master Genkai was. My life is here, in the city. Maybe not _here_ here, in this apartment, but I love this town, and I don't... I don't really want that to change."

He hummed a little in understanding; they needed some sort of compromise, then. A middle ground that would make her feel less like she was being pushed away, but would still leave him feeling like she was being protected.

"...Kokoda called me a couple of days ago," he finally said, lightly running his fingers through her hair.

"Mn?"

"He's still not entirely certain about everything, no more is Father, but they both seem to have decided that Mother has the right way of thinking, and he'd like to resume working next week."

"...that's good?"

She sounded confused, not entirely sure why he was bringing it up. He smiled a little and nuzzled at her lightly.

"It would be unfair of me to expect Kokoda to take on all of the work, but we might be able to trade a week on and a week off. One week I would be here, and the next..."

"You would... come see me?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes. We'll also need to find you a midwife closer to the temple, unless you wanted to have the child born in the local hospital?"

"...I hadn't decided," she admitted, worrying a little at his shirt with her fingers.

"Well, there is still time."

"...Shuu?"

"Hm?"

"I... intend to give it a couple of years, but I don't...well..I mean..."

He could feel the heat flooding her face, and waited for her to find the words.

"Would you be... opposed to more than one child?"

Shuuichi considered the idea.

"We would have to move," he said after a moment. "Three people could live here comfortably, but not more, unless the children were the same gender. Even then, it could be... chancy."

"I know..."

"How... large of a family were you considering?"

"Three at most. And... well... we _could_ live at the temple. I think. For a while."

"Allow me some time to think about it?"

She nodded a little, and he kissed her temple lightly.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"...kind of, but... Can we stay like this for a little bit longer?"

"Of course."

* * *

"Are you ready for this?" Shizuru asked.

"It's just the party," Kimiko said with a shrug. "The party was never the unnerving part. _Annoying_ maybe, but not worrying."

Shizuru scoffed a little as she adjusted the fall of the lavender dress she'd found for Kimiko, then brushed some hair off her shoulders.

"Oh, is that why you've been fussing around up here ever since you came?" she teased.

Kimiko rolled her eyes in tolerant humor, then closed them as Shizuru came at her with the make up kit.

"I'm just making sure everything goes the way its supposed to," she retorted, letting Shizuru turn her face this way and that to add the powders and shadows and whatever else she thought was needed. "Not to mention I had to find out just who on the mountain really wanted to train for the demon world tournament next year. I don't think that's really _fussing_."

Shizuru made a skeptical sound, while both Yukina and Keiko laughed.

"It really is impressive," Yukina said with a small smile. "I don't know that I would like to watch it myself, but it sounds like it's going to be a very big thing."

"Koenma's totally tearing out his hair over it, isn't he?" Kimiko asked, giggling a little.

"He does seem to be very busy these days, yes," she replied. "Botan mentioned that he said he'd very much like to rig it in someone's favor, but with so many demons, there's no real way of knowing who'd make a suitable ruler."

"Rigging a fight?" Keiko sounded vaguely appalled.

"Can't do it when there's over a thousand participants," Kimiko said with a faint shrug. "I'm not surprised he considered it, though. All I know is that we definitely don't want Yomi to win. Hiei seems inclined to think that Mukuro's anarchy is a bit better, not much different from the way things are right now, actually, but I can't tell if that's because Hiei _likes_ Mukuro, or just respects her. Either way-"

"Either way, it's not something to discuss when we're about to start a party," Shizuru said firmly. " _Way_ too serious. Open your eyes and tell me what you think."

Kimiko did so, and blinked at her reflection. Not entirely sure she was seeing herself right, she moved her arm, and the mirror image did as well.

"...damn, Shizuru," she finally said.

Shizuru grinned smugly.

"Your man isn't going to know what hit him. Who's next?~"

* * *

"Seems weird to be offering actual congrats today, considering you guys did the whole registration bit already," Yusuke said, hands casually shoved in the pockets of his slacks. "Kid on the way and everything! You gettin a jump on things or what?"

"The child was unanticipated," Shuuichi replied, shaking his head a little. "I admit, I think I would have liked having her to myself for a little longer, but..." he shrugged, and smiled. "I am not displeased that she wants to keep it. Worried, perhaps, but not displeased."

"Ignore him," Kazuma said, smirking as he rested his elbow on Yusuke's head. "He's just jealous cause he's known Keiko all his life and it took him two years longer than you to get both married _and_ a kid."

"Shaddup you! You don't got room to talk anyways! Yukina's still only your _girlfriend_."

Yusuke made to punch Kazuma, but Shuuichi intervened, blocking the blow and putting himself between them.

"I am quite certain that Kimiko will attempt genuine harm if you start brawling before all of the guests are here," he said firmly. "Not to mention your own wife."

"Yeah, Urameshi, put a lid on it," Kazuma smirked.

"You _started_ it Kuwabara, I'm just finishing it!" Yusuke retorted.

Shuuichi gave them both a look, well aware of the feminine fury that would descend upon _all_ of them if a fight happened.

"Yusuke, why don't _you_ go talk to Jin," he suggested, firmly turning his brother-in-law towards the less-combative redhead. "Perhaps try and reassure him that Kimiko's training methods will be less... dramatic than Master Genkai's were. Kazuma, I believe I saw Yukina go inside a few minutes ago; why not go and see if the ladies need anything?"

Yusuke grumbled, but went, hands shoved back into his pockets as he sulked. Kazuma, at least, had the grace to look embarrassed as he headed off to see if there was anything inside that he could help out with.

Shuuichi shook his head a little and sighed quietly; as long as he kept those two on opposing ends of the compound, he _might_ be able to stave off their usual playful brawling. At least, long enough so that the guests could enjoy the food before they got a show.

"That was neatly handled," Botan said cheerfully, resplendent in an elaborate pink kimono. "Do they _always_ argue like that?"

"Yes," he sighed a little, smiling ruefully. "I had hoped that today would be different, but it would appear that they simply cannot help themselves. Keeping them apart until everyone is here seems to be the wiser course of action."

Botan giggled, and patted him sympathetically on the shoulder.

"Good luck."

"I may need it."

She giggled again and moved back towards the guests who _had_ arrived, quite cheerfully fitting herself in among the slowly growing crowd. While it _was_ a smaller crowd than those who had appeared at Genkai's wake, he was quite willing to be that not everyone he was seeing had been invited.

Atsuko had arrived with Chu, and his mother-in-law had brought several unaffiliated people, including two in black suits who looked rather... Yakuza. They were all polite, at least...

Most of the demons had made better time, having been in the area already, and not needing to take the train and the taxi to get there. Of them, only Rinku had actually maintained a casual air about his clothes; everyone else was wearing the best they had, and were taking great pains to keep things nice.

His own family arrived just as he turned to see if there was anyone else on the stairs, and he smiled at them warmly, pleased that they had come despite the recent tensions. Shiori smiled back, and came over to give him a kiss on the cheek, step-father and step-brother trailing behind.

"It's an interesting place," she said, looking around curiously. "I never knew there was a temple up here in the mountains."

"It's more of a training area for fighters than an actual temple," he replied, kissing her cheek in reply. "Kimiko's master left it to her when she passed, though Kimiko is still undecided as to what she really wishes to do with the place. After the ceremony, I can show you around, if you'd like?"

"Please."

Kazuya looked beyond Shuuichi, towards the burst of laughter that had come from the assembled small group.

"...they look like a pack of ruffians," he muttered.

Shuuichi frowned a little, but before he could say anything, Kimiko spoke up from behind him.

"That 'pack of ruffians' happens to be friends of mine," she said coolly. "Some of whom work very hard on the behalf of humans to keep them safe."

Shuuichi turned, not sure whether he was going to be standing in solidarity with her or if she wasn't actually that insulted, then simply stared. He was dressed in a suit of his own, mostly because he felt the formality of the situation required it, and he had _heard_ Kimiko complain about the dress Shizuru had talked her into...

Personally, he could see no reason for the complaint; the soft lavender was only a shade or two off the color of the energy she could control, and the embellishments of gold and crystals glittered delicately in the daylight. The high waist was a concession to the fact that no one had wanted to actually put pressure on her stomach, despite any change in the size of it, allowing the delicate silk and chiffon skirt to flutter unhindered to the grass.

Shizuru had plainly had a hand in the makeup and hair as well; a soft gold shadow brought out the darker purple of Kimiko's eyes, while a light blush mixed with glitter had been brushed over her cheeks. Her mouth was a pretty plum, and it also glittered, making him wonder where on earth Shizuru had found these items. Kimiko's hair was loose down her back, tied in a half-tail that was held by a delicate golden ribbon, and a small tiara topped her hair with a modest veil attached.

She looked beautiful. And also a little annoyed, though after a moment her expression smoothed out into a wry smile.

"Though admittedly, one of them is my brother, and he really _is_ a ruffian. That was a very neat job, Shuu, getting them apart without the fight."

He blinked at her, then smiled a little, warmly. If she felt uncomfortable in the gown—and he suspected she did—she wasn't showing it.

"Well, it wouldn't be fair for anyone to miss the show," he replied.

It earned him a giggle, both from his wife _and_ his mother. Lightly he bowed, pleased with himself.

"We're almost ready to really get started, I think," Kimiko said, smiling cheerfully now at her in-laws. "It's almost ten, and if we delay much longer, Yusuke's going to start complaining about the lack of open buffet."

Shiori nodded, smiling back at Kimiko, then led her husband and step-son away. Shuuichi glanced down at Kimiko as she peered down the stairs and smiled again.

"You look lovely," he said softly.

She glanced up at him and flushed a little, a shyer smile of her own pulling at her mouth.

"I feel like I'm playing dress up," she admitted. "So I'm trying to treat it like that. It's only temporary, and it's for fun. So today, I'm a princess."

Shuuichi shook his head a little, and leaned down to steal a quick kiss.

"No," he said gently. "Today, and every day, you are my queen."

* * *

What ceremony there was, was brief and to the point; it was no secret that they'd already gone through the formality of a marriage license and registration of pregnancy already. This was the party, the celebration that was admittedly more for the people around them than for the two of them.

They danced, they ate, they drank—Kimiko stuck with soda and water—and laughed when the inevitable Yusuke/Kuwabara brawl dragged in Jin as well. Atsuko cooed alternately over her already-born grandchild and at her daughter's stomach, which she put up with tolerantly, and moved away from as soon as it wasn't rude.

She loved her mother, really, but between Atsuko and Chu, the smell of alcohol was _horrid_.

Kimiko showed Shiori around the grounds, telling her about Genkai—though not her master's training methods—and a little bit about how she'd met each person who was at the party. Shiori expressed wonder more than anything else, reminding Kimiko strongly of why she liked the older woman.

While she never caught a _direct_ glimpse of Hiei, she did sense his energy, and feel his weighted stare every now and again. When she mentioned it to Shuuichi, he smiled ruefully and acknowledged that he felt it too, though the party itself seemed much to boisterous for his friend to show himself directly. When delicately asked, both Yukina and Kazuma admitted they'd felt someone staring at them at differing times... though mostly when they'd been in close proximity.

A handful of demons—and Shuuichi's family—left as the festivities were starting to wind down. Chu, Atsuko, her drunk friends, and the two Yakuza-men all headed off a little after, though Kimiko could hear her mother wondering how much more booze they could get before they had to _really_ be home. The rest of them—those not involved in helping Jin clean up the grounds—moved inside where there were movies to watch and video games to play.

Kimiko leaned back, knowing Shuuichi was there, and smiled tiredly when he wrapped his arms around her and pressed a lightly kiss to the top of her head.

"I think we can call it a success," she murmured, curling her arms around his lightly. "Though I think Kokoda and Kazuya are still a bit on the shell-shocked side."

"Kokoda is coming around, slowly," Shuuichi replied. "Father will take... a bit longer, but Mother is certain that he'll at least remain polite."

"That's good. I'd like my whole family to at least _try_ and get along."

She felt him laugh softly as the moment was punctuated by Yusuke and Kazuma fighting over whose turn it was to be player one.

"...Well, I said try," she sighed, shaking her head a little. "I swear, those two are just idiots."

"But you love them."

It was her turn to laugh softly, even as Keiko scolded Yusuke for starting yet _another_ fight, gesturing towards Sayaka's carry-seat and demanding to know what sort of example he wanted to set for his daughter. Given that the baby was fast asleep, it was sort of a moot point, but it didn't look like one Keiko was going to let drop any time soon.

"Yes."

He kissed her head again, delicately, then shifted just slightly and placed a kiss just behind her ear, making her shiver.

"Shuuichi...?"

"Come to bed," he invited softly, his breath warm on her ear. "You look... tired."

She turned slightly in his hold and raised an eyebrow.

"And is sleep _all_ you had in mind?" she teased softly.

He only smiled, then leaned in and kissed her nose. She squeaked, giggled, and gave him a gentle push that really only served to make him hold her closer.

"All right. Let's go to bed then."

* * *

 _You will, as always, find the smut over on AO3~_


	32. Thirty one

Thirty one

" _All_ of you want to enter the demon world tournament?" Kimiko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well if there's a chance ta be biggest baddie on the hill, I say why not?" Jin replied.

She shook her head a little, looking at the small assembly of demons. Jin and Toya, Rinku, Shishiwakamaru and Suzuki, even Chu had come back from her mother's place to stand in the small crowd. At the back stood Bui, though there was more caution and uncertainty on his long face than desire, and there were other demons she didn't know as well as her friends in the crowd. Any one of them alone would have been a trial for her first teaching assignment, but all of them?

She frowned thoughtfully, studying them to the best of her abilities. Of those assembled, there were a handful—Bui included—that she thought might not actually want to go through with it once she started in with Genkai's style of training. And logically, it would be beneficial if the ruler of that part of demon world was a friend; at least she knew that would be a person who wouldn't attack humans, and would try to rescue them if a human stumbled into the realm by accident.

Which had happened before, quite a lot, according to Koenma, and was still something of a problem even now.

"All right, but this training won't be easy," she warned. "I may not be Master Genkai, but the way she taught was either learn or die. Are you lot willing to put up with that?"

There was a collective rumble of assent, heads nodding all around. With a faint sigh and a shrug, she pointed to one of the distant mountain peaks.

"Meet me there. If you can't make it in two hours, you're better off staying here."

They all turned to look at the mountain in question and she smiled a little; while they were distracted, she bounded cheerfully off Jin's head, making him yelp, then to the wall top.

"Well, come on slow pokes, you haven't got all day!"

* * *

"So, how many of them actually made it within the time limit?" Shuuichi asked, sounding amused.

"Oh, most of them," she replied, with a grin, lounging comfortably on the low couch with a movie as background noise. It was abysmally quiet in the temple now, with everyone off training. "I split them into groups depending on who seemed to have the best relationship and set them to sparring in some underground caverns Master Genkai warded forever ago. With their energy suppressed, they'll be working hard enough to just get back to where they think they were, let alone improve."

"And this is _not_ using her methods?"

Now Kimiko laughed.

"Oh no, this is pure Master Genkai. I just don't bite the way she does."

"I am not so sure on that," he said, and she could hear the warm heat in his voice through the faint crackle of static in the phone line. "You do bite when you are... properly attended to."

Heat flared in her cheeks, even knowing there was no one around to hear him.

"You're _impossible_ ," she huffed, rubbing the tip of her nose in embarrassment.

"That is possible," he said, his tone teasing. "And you yourself are well?"

"Mmhm. I beat them all there and I feel fine. I actually went to my clinic appointment today, like I said I would fussy, and Yukina's making sure I have good food to eat."

She had been surprised by Yukina volunteering to stay up with her, and Koenma had been _quite_ put out, but on the whole, it was kind of nice. It also meant she was getting decent food instead of burning, overboiling, or just buying things from the convenience store that was in the town.

"I'm glad," and the teasing note was gone, though the warmth remained. "I imagine as you get further along things will get more difficult."

"Well, I've been told I should be careful with how _much_ I exercise, and that I'm not supposed to lift heavy weights, things like that, but what all I've looked up on my own. It's enough to make a girl's head spin..."

He chuckled, and she smiled a little sadly; It was only the middle of the week, she needed to have more patience... But oh, she wished she could be sitting next to him, watching his face, and feeling his warmth.

"Keiko's given me some of her old books too," she continued after a mental shake. "She _said_ they were all useful ones, but there's times when her idea of useful and my idea of useful aren't exactly the same thing."

"You are reading them, though?"

"Mmhm... off and on, the past couple days. I don't want to try reading them too fast. That way lies absolute confusion and emotional crash and burn."

"...that," he said after a moment, his voice shading to concern, "sounds a bit like experience."

Kimiko made a noncommittal noise, not entirely willing to admit that it _was_.

"Are you _sure_ you're all right?"

"I'm okay, Shuu," she replied softly, wishing she didn't feel quite _so_ vulnerable. How was it that even over the phone she couldn't manage to disassemble with him any more? "It's just a big, currently empty place. It'll be brighter in the morning."

"Kokoda could-"

"Get more resentful if you leave the shop to him for weeks on end," she interrupted. "Shuuichi, it's okay. Really. I can get through this. It's just moods, and the quiet." She went quiet herself for a moment. "Sometimes I'll turn a corner and think I see Master Genkai moving just ahead. It's hard being here without her..."

It was his turn to be silent.

"I'm sorry," he finally said."I should have taken that into consideration..."

"Mn... me too."

"You are certain you don't wish me to come up sooner?"

"Kokoda's going to need the products," she said, managing to sound wryly amused. "It's not like he could use either the enchantments Tooril made _or_ your own abilities. How did he react to finding out that aspect of your abilities?"

"It, ah... hasn't come up yet," Shuuichi admitted ruefully. "I believe at this point he is trying to pretend that nothing has really changed, other than my marriage to you causing a small downturn in young women."

"Only a small one?"

"Well, I can no more wear a ring than you, so I'm not entirely sure all of them believe it."

Kimiko made a faintly exasperated sound, shaking her head a little.

"When I'm able, I ought to come to the store just for a prolonged makeout session," she grumbled.

He laughed softly.

"I didn't think you were into exhibitionism," he said wryly. "Are you so worried?"

"...no," she said with a faint, fond smile. "I trust you, Shuuichi. Even if they try to get you into a compromising position, you'd tell me."

"I would," he agreed, his tone somewhere between pleased and surprised.

She giggled a little.

"That kind of secret would only make trouble," she pointed out with a tiny smile. "And really, if you found someone else that drew your attention, you wouldn't have decided to marry me."

"This is very true," and the warmth in his tone left her feeling warm as well. "You are my great treasure."

"Flatterer."

"Possibly. But also true."

She blushed and waved a hand in front of her face.

"Oh you."

* * *

Kimiko had never stayed in the temple for longer than a month at a time; she had never watched as the green faded to gold, summer to autumn, and then autumn falling into white winter before. She didn't grow unwieldy round with all the exercise she routinely got, bouncing about the mountains and adjusting everyone's training, but the bump was quite noticeable around the end of October.

"You look like you got a pumpkin in there," Jin said as he took a brief break from his training to hover near her.

Kimiko had her eyes on Rinku; he was getting quite good with twenty yo-yos, she had to admit.

"Funny," she said, giving him an absent shove. "She moves around more now. Gonna be a handful when she's born."

"Finally gave in ta curiosity?" he grinned a little.

"It's easier to pick a name when you know the baby's gender... and I threatened Master Genkai that I'd put her name on my first daughter, so there might be a little Genkai running around here sooner than you think."

"Oh boy, we'll all be in trouble then. You're bad enough!"

She rolled her eyes in amusement and lightly punched him for that one.

"If you think _I'm_ bad, just wait for November; _Shuuichi_ takes over then."

Jin's shudder was not even slightly feigned; Shuuichi was as hard on them as Kimiko, and occasionally could be much more creative. She thought it was fun... no one else seemed inclined to agree.

"You're goin ta be takin it easy then?"

She made a face.

"Everyone's piled on me; I don't get a _choice_. No more mountain bouncing until the baby's born. It's too cold up here, and I shouldn't be stressing myself, and yadda yadda yadda," she sighed. "I'd hate to hear what the midwife would say if _she_ knew what I was actually doing. She thinks I'm a gym addict as it is."

He laughed at her, lightly smacking his knee as Rinku proceeded to turn several rock spires into dust and gravel. Kimiko let him for a moment, then reached up and flicked an ear, making him yelp.

"If you have the breath to laugh, you have the breath to train. Get in there."

"Aye~"

* * *

"She's crawling now, huh?" Kimiko asked, raising an eyebrow as Keiko reached over and firmly caught Sayaka around her middle.

"Yup. We've had to put in a gate at the top of the stairs now so she doesn't go headfirst," Yusuke said, grinning wryly. "She scoots around pretty fast too; if we let her loose in here..."

"That's why we brought a playpen," Keiko interrupted, giving her husband a _look_. "We can set it up out here, and make sure she doesn't go anywhere, without trying to keep her on someone's lap."

"That might be nice," Kimiko said with a grimace. "I still have one, but sometimes I feel tiny feet trying to kick apart my spine. Don't want to give Sayaka any ideas..."

Yusuke snickered and Keiko nodded sympathetically.

"It's almost over," she said encouragingly, elbowing Yusuke in the ribs. "And then you get a new sort of adventure."

"I get an adventure and then two months later I get to make a trip to demon world," Kimiko said.

"What, why?" Yusuke asked, halfway through setting up the playpen. "I thought that wasn't til April; it's only November now!"

"They moved the tournament date, of course. Turns out Gandara has not just the best tech, it's also got the prime location for fights, which was the part they weren't too terrible sure on," Kimiko made a face, absently rubbing her stomach as baby Genkai moved quite sharply. "They're called Okunenju trees, and apparently they're flat enough on top to have their own normal trees, rivers, and ecosystems. Shuuichi said they can get large enough to be their own continent, if left along long enough. So, since they have the tech and the terrain, and almost all the money needed, they moved the date on us."

"That's..." Keiko blinked, then shook her head. "A little scary. Are you sure you still want to go? Two months isn't a lot of recovery time."

"I'm less worried about recovery than I am about people trying to jump me," Kimiko replied, making a face. "Enki still swears that I won't be, though I don't know how he can guarantee it, and Shuuichi's promised to stay beside me..."

"So if all else fails, you pass baby to her dad and you go kick some ass?" Yusuke said with a grin. Then yelped as Keiko lightly smacked his head.

" _Language_ ," she scolded.

Kimiko laughed a little.

"He's right though," she said with a wry grin. "Papa Kurama's going to be holding a baby, and I _will_ eviscerate someone if I must. Though right now, we're going to work the angle where he's the one with the power, while I'm still 'in recovery'," and she made the air quotes with a snicker. "That way if anyone _is_ stupid enough, we can catch them off guard."

"Kurama?"

"...oops. Right. I'll get Shuuichi to show you once he's done beating up the boys."

Yusuke snickered while Keiko sighed.

"It's all in good training," Kimiko said with an innocent grin.

"Bet they don't think so," he replied.

"Nope~ That's why it's so good for them! You should hear Suzu whining though," and she rolled her eyes with tolerant humor. "He doesn't shut up about wanting a shower whenever training's done for the day."

"Don't they get them?"

Kimiko's grin was all mischief.

"If they have the energy to reach them~"

"Kimiko, that's mean," Keiko scolded.

"Maybe, but they're the ones who want to try and be king of demon world," she pointed out. "Eight months worth of training isn't really a whole lot, in terms of power levels. I know Shuuichi didn't find their current gains too impressive in the past few months, so he's going to push them pretty hard until about a week before the tournament. After that, well, it's up to them."

* * *

"How _are_ they doing?"

Shuuichi looked down at his wife, a little bit startled; he'd thought the movie had put her to sleep, but clearly the busy afternoon hadn't actually worn her out that much.

"Not too bad," he replied after a moment of thought. "While they are not where they _could_ be, their past experience with Master Genkai's training, and your own current training, have brought them up to a level that is quite respectable. If we were to use Koenma's grading system, I would judge them to be high A to low S classes. The next few months may see a few making the jump to a true S class, though I believe a few of them are currently at their plateau right now. Rinku, for example, needs a few more decades to attain full growth of his body so that it can handle the amount of energy he wants to control. Likewise, both Shishiwakamaru and Suzuki seem to have hit their limits. It will get them a respectable distance, however, in the tournament itself."

"No one will die?"

"Hopefully not, but there are some demons who will enter just for the chance to get their hands dirty. The best we can hope for at this point is that our friends will have the skills necessary to keep themselves alive. Which, given the extent of their training, I would expect."

She smiled a little, without opening her eyes.

"That's good. I'd have to eternally mock them... or Master Genkai would..." Kimiko was quiet for a moment, then half-opened her eyes, glancing up at him. "I'm sorry about Yusuke putting you on the spot like that. Stupid pregnancy brain..."

Shuuichi chuckled a little, and kissed her forehead gently.

"It's all right. I was almost wondering if they would ever ask _how_ I was going to keep you safe while we watched the tournament. Three humans in that world is simply asking for trouble, despite, or in our case _because_ of the power."

And it had been amusing to watch Yusuke stare, at a complete loss for words at the sight of his demon form. He had pretended not to hear the question Keiko had posed to Kimiko, though Kimiko's bright blush had been impossible to ignore. He still remembered that day quite well... perhaps at some point he could coax her into doing it again.

He'd meant to stay in that form only a short while, but Sayaka had developed a great interest in his tail. When the baby had fallen asleep on it, he had been stuck for several hours, much to the amusement of the two young women.

"You're sure you don't mind that we took pictures?"

"As long as they don't turn up on social media," he said dryly.

Kimiko giggled, then squeaked; Shuuichi reached down and gently brushed his fingers over her stomach, chuckling a little as the baby shifted again under his touch.

"This little one is going to be a fighter, just like her mother," he said with a wry smile.

"I was hoping for a _calm_ child," she sighed. "But, I suppose with this life, a brawler is to be expected. I just wish she'd stop fighting with the placenta, or trying to take out my spine."

He chuckled a little, and kissed her temple lightly.

"Did you decide what you wanted to do for the holidays?"

"I don't think I have the energy for a big party," she admitted. "Or even really a small one. And I don't really want to plan for anything around that time anyways; it's too close to the due date. A quiet Christmas sounds like a better idea."

Shuuichi nodded, and hugged her gently.

"I'm sure that can be arranged. Would you like to go back into the city for it?"

"I thought you said Kokoda had taken over the apartment," she teased gently.

"Well, this is not incorrect, but I'm sure he would be reasonable about us staying there for a night or two."

Kimiko gave him a dubious look, and he couldn't help but smile. He couldn't help but tease her, really...

Having come to the reluctant conclusion in September that for the next few years the temple _would_ probably make the best home, Kimiko had then been rather put out at the fact that no one had been willing to let her lift even the weight she was _allowed_ to lift during the subsequent moving of things from the apartment to the temple. Directing them hadn't quite been the same, but there had been little she could do about it. The fact that her friends had all come bearing furniture for the baby as well had left her sulking for several days.

Shuuichi was still in the process of transferring ownership of the shop and the apartment above to Kokoda; being a normal human, he was having to find and make contracts with several plant suppliers in order to keep up with the customers... and several young women had expressed severe disappointment at the fact that Shuuichi had left the shop for good.

The nearby town held an old storefront where he could relocate easily enough once everything was finalized. In his frequent trips to and from the town, he had met quite a few people who had expressed an interest in such a thing, which had been pleasing to both him and Kimiko. It had meant he wouldn't have to find a different sort of job, which he had admittedly been somewhat dreading, and once the children were in school, it mean Kimiko would be able to help out.

Koenma had posed the idea of her training new demon hunters, which she hadn't turned _down_ , but pointing out that they would have to come to her would deter most people. So working at the shop with Shuuichi would fill the hours quite nicely.

Yukina, once Shuuichi had moved into the temple, had gone back to the city for a few days to close up her own apartment and annoy Koenma by resigning from the store; she was going to be Shuuichi's first new employee when he opened locally, and was quite happily ensconced in the temple with them.

"Nooooo, I think I'm good here," she said with a wry smile, pulling his attention back to her with a small kiss. "Kazuma's probably going to take Yukina out on a date, and we did promise the boys they could have a break around then too."

"You did," and he smiled a little. "I did not."

She laughed, and lightly tugged at his hair.

"Don't be mean, Shuu, let them have a couple days off. You can come back with new, inventive training for them after. January's going to be crunch time, after all; make or break."

"Well, perhaps if you request nicely?"

Kimiko laughed again, then leaned up and gave him a kiss.

* * *

It had been something of an uphill battle, convincing the midwife to let Shuuichi stay with her while she was in the process of giving birth. Kimiko had pushed hard for it, however, once she'd learned he wanted to be there with her.

Now she was glad she had; when the initial contractions had begun, he had been the very essence of calm, helping her to track time between pulses and keeping her distracted while Yukina put the necessary things by the door. Between the two of them, they had managed to keep her calm as well, Yukina fluttering more in excitement than anything else when she'd called everyone to report the news.

The trains had all stopped running for the night, however, by the time the contractions became close enough to need to visit the practice, and there was a flurry of calls fielded by both Yukina and Shuuichi while they all headed down the stairs for the taxi that would get them to the small practice where the midwife would meet them. The general consensus was that everyone would get on the earliest trains possible and hopefully by that point, there would be a baby to welcome.

What it meant for Kimiko was that Yukina and Shuuichi were her only secondary support, and there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that she wasn't keeping them close by. Now that it was actually upon her, she found she was absolutely _terrified_. What if she was a bad mother? Considering her own mother, it wasn't too difficult to picture; what all did she _really_ know about children?

His hands rested gently on her shoulder, kneading tight muscles as she tried to keep her breathing even and steady. At her side, Yukina held her hand, easing the pain unobtrusively; it wasn't the same all-encompassing pain that she could remember vividly from her trial, but there wasn't much chance of calling it _comfortable_ either. Pressure came and went in waves, leaving her feeling anxious and tired by turns.

 _Ride it out_.

The memory came unbidden; her master's sharp voice, laced with the underlying care she knew the old woman felt. No one could ever have called Genkai kind, except maybe Yukina, but there was no denying that Genkai had loved the family that had come to her with all her heart.

Ride the wave...

Kimiko half closed her eyes, leaning back against Shuuichi's shoulder and did her best to center herself; this was going to take a long time, and she had the feeling she was going to need every scrap of energy and then some.

* * *

The small, wailing scrap of humanity placed on Kimiko's chest left him feeling silent awe. Kimiko's face was damp with sweat, dark circles under her eyes testified to how difficult it had been, but he was willing to swear that he had never seen a more beautiful sight as she smiled tiredly down at the newborn.

Shuuichi very delicately ran his finger along the small strands of hair on his new daughter's head, smiling a little bit; she was going to be a redhead then, as he was. Would their future children all share that same shock of red?

After a moment he let the thought go; for now, just the one would be adventure enough.

Gently he put an arm around Kimiko and kissed her forehead lightly. Already, Kimiko was half asleep, one arm curled protectively around the frail body of their child who seemed to find that reassuring, as the wailing stopped.

"Shuu," she murmured, her head on his shoulder.

"Shhh," he replied softly. "Just rest, Kimiko. I'll be here."

The midwife finished cleaning up below, and sniffed her opinion of his presence in the room yet again; fortunately for her, Kimiko was already asleep. Shuuichi had no doubts that Kimiko would have once again snarled at the woman about him, and he felt no need to be antagonistic. He had been there when he needed to be, and for him, that was currently enough.

She offered no resistance when he very gently moved the baby off her chest, though Genkai wriggled in slight protest. She was not, however, done being checked over, and he wanted to be absolutely sure that this child was going to be a healthy one.

The midwife, for all her displeasure at his presence, did her job with competence, and once little Genkai was tucked properly into a diaper, blanket, and snug cap, he took the child back, and held her close. He wasn't about to leave Kimiko's side while she slept; right now she was at her most vulnerable, and he still didn't _quite_ trust that Yomi wouldn't make an attempt at her when she couldn't fight back.

But that didn't mean the waiting family couldn't come in to meet the newest little member of the family. Yusuke was in first, a grin on his face as he inspected his niece.

"Damn, it hasn't even been a year, but I already forgot how tiny they started," he said, his voice far more quiet than usual. "You look dead on your feet though, man..."

Shuuichi smiled a little.

"I will survive," he replied. "Kimiko was the one who did all the hard work."

"Chicks are hardcore..."

"Don't let her catch you saying that," he chuckled a little. "Or Keiko. I don't think either of them will recognize it as a compliment."

Yusuke grinned a little in agreement.

"Ya know, if you want to head back to the temple and pass out for a bit, we can all keep watch in turns," he offered. "I mean, I don't pack the same sort of spiritual punch as Sis, but I'm pretty sure I could knock out a demon who came looking for trouble."

"I thank you, but truly, I am fine," Shuuichi replied, touched by the offer. "I would rather be here as it is, until Kimiko is able to return home under her own power. Also, I do not think it would go over well if I appeared to vanish while she slept..."

Yusuke snorted a little, but shrugged and lightly clapped Shuuichi's shoulder.

"Suit yourself man, but the offer's open if you need it."

"Thank you, Yusuke. It is appreciated."

Yusuke was followed by Atsuko, sober and brimming with delight at the sight of baby Genkai. She cooed at the baby, and beamed with pride at her unconscious daughter, giving Shuuichi the chance to see just how much Atsuko really did love her children. She was not the world's best mother, but she had tried.

His own mother came in next, though there was no sign of Kazuya or Kokoda.

"They both had to stay and work, but asked me to pass on their congratulations," Shiori said with a soft smile, immediately dispelling his disappointment. "Kokoda had a very colorful flower display all ready to bring up here, but I told him that too much pollen wasn't good for little lungs, so he trying to rework it."

He chuckled a little, shaking his head slightly.

"I'm sure Kimiko would thank you if she was awake," he replied. "In her place, I thank you, Mother."

Shiori smiled and kissed his cheek.

"You'll be very busy from now on, my son, but you'll see how rewarding it is to have a child of your own. If you ever need any advice, you or Kimiko, just give me a call."

"Of course, Mother."

Shiori was followed by Keiko, who grinned knowingly at his asleep wife, then Botan who wanted to take a picture for Koenma to see. Shuuichi allowed it cautiously, and had to stifle his amusement as Botan turned it into a selfie. Kazuma was brought in by Yukina and cautioned to be quieter than normal, as Kimiko and the newborn both needed the sleep they were sharing.

After they all had left, he found himself wondering if Hiei was going to turn up. Part of him thought he wouldn't mind so much, knowing his friend as he did, while part of him hoped Hiei would hold off until Kimiko was awake. True he would probably be dismissive as ever, but at least then she would be able to see the truth for herself, instead of relying on him to pass it on.

And though he didn't quite mean to, perched there on the bed, daughter in his arms and wife at his side, he slipped into a light doze that only ended when the baby stirred and made her first cry for mother's milk.

* * *

"Cor, she _is_ a tiny little scrap, innit she?" Chu said, peering over the heads of the other demons who had come to see the new little human in their midst.

"Just a tiny little firefly," Jin replied. "A cute little bug!"

He looked almost enchanted, practically nose-to-nose with the baby, who just blinked at him with light brown eyes. Toya pulled him back firmly.

"Don't block her in," he said a little testily. "We all want to see."

Kimiko had to grin; none of them had come down from the compound while she had 'recovered' for a week at the clinic—really, she had felt fine after two days, but procedure had to be observed, rapid healing abilities or not—seeming content to train without oversight, but now that Shuuichi had brought her and baby Genkai home, they couldn't seem to get enough. Even Shishi had abandoned his arrogant facade to hover over the baby in his imp form.

"Man, do all humans start out so tiny?" Rinku asked.

"Mmhm. She'll grow fast though. You've seen Sayaka; she's almost a year old now, and there's a world of difference between the two."

"Some demons start out even smaller," Chu said with a smirk, lightly grinding a fist on Rinku's hat.

Rinku scowled up at Chu.

"I will Serpant Yoyo your face," the younger demon threatened.

Kimiko giggled a little; Chu seemed wholly unthreatened by that, just grinning at his small friend.

"With you lookin better, this means we're back ta trainin like there's no t'morrow, huh?" Jin asked.

"Mmhm. You're down to a month now, to get your powers up as strong as you can."

"You _had_ to say something," Suzuki complained.

Kimiko grinned.

"Oh, trust me, Shuuichi and I have been working on ways to improve the training~ There wasn't much _else_ to do while I was there, after all."

"We're doomed..." Rinku groaned a little.

"Big mouth," Toya muttered, elbowing his partner.

"You'll be glad of it by the time we're done," she said, her tone all innocence. "Even if no one here becomes king, you're all more than powerful enough to try and make a grab for your own bits of land if you wanted."

"Ach, but where's the fun in _that_?" Jin replied, moving aside as Shishi tried to stab him with the needle that was his sword while he was in imp form. "Human world's more fun in the long run!"

She smiled, pleased by the response, then smirked.

"All right, first training exercise for today~ Catch Jin."

"GEH!"

* * *

"You know you don't actually have to go and watch," Koenma said, hands folded on the table. "We've got your friends going, and there's going to be a few of our own hiding among the crowd as well."

"I'd rather know first hand than wait for a report," Kimiko replied, lightly rubbing Genkai's back as she slept. "It's not like I'm defenseless, Koenma. I'll have Shuuichi with me, and whatever protection Enki keeps saying he'll get me. And frankly, I'm curious; Yusuke's ideas usually don't pan out this well."

"I'm surprised he's not trying to bother you into letting him go," Botan said a little wryly.

"Oh, he tried. Keiko said no. I told him I'd try and get a recording of the matches so everyone else could watch secondhand, which is about the best I can do, but he's still kind of sulking about it."

Botan giggled, but Koenma's relieved sigh was more noticeable. Kimiko raised an eyebrow at her former employer.

"It's going to be tricky enough with only a few powerful humans in the audience," he replied, shaking his head a little. "Underpowered ones would probably be too much for some demons to resist."

"Yusuke would probably pound them flat anyways," she said in tolerant amusement. "And then complain that he's not part of the tournament, never mind the fact that he'd be a terrible king."

"...sadly, I could see that," he sighed a little. "He'd be a lot better if he'd had more formal training..."

"Don't even think about it, Koenma," she warned, smiling pleasantly. "Yuu's just fine as he is."

Botan giggled again as Koenma shivered just a little.

"You have definitely got the 'sweet smile of death' down," the blue-haired woman said.

Kimiko's grin was much more natural.

"I've been practicing~"

"I can tell," Koenma muttered.

"So who's minding the store while you two are gone?"

"Oh, we've closed it for a holiday," Botan replied, smiling winsomely. "We're going too, you see."

Kimiko blinked, and stared at Koenma.

"Whoever ends up as ruler of that part of demon world is going to have a lot of influence, and it may well turn into the unification Yomi's been wanting," Koenma sighed a little, rubbing his forehead. "I need to know first hand, so I can maybe use it to finally finish that in-fighting going on in Spirit World. Nothing against Human World, but I've been away from home for a long time now, and I'd kind of like to go back there without having to worry about assassination attempts."

"Or kidnapping," and she grinned at his grimace; she was never going to let him live that one down. "So, you're traveling with us then, that's why you've come here?"

"It seemed a logical assumption; like Demon's Door, there are places up here in the mountains where opening portals isn't too difficult, and it'll make passage to Gandara that much faster," he replied with a nod. "Your friends already have Suzuki to make their portal, but I didn't think you'd want to go quite that early..."

Kimiko shook her head, making a slight face; all demons who had registered needed to be there a week in advance of the tournament, to go over rules and the like. The tournament itself was slated to last a further four days, and admittedly she didn't want to spend even _that_ long there.

"And even though it's really cold up here, it's quite nice," Botan added. "We've been wondering how you were doing too."

"Oh, we're fine," Kimiko smiled. "It took some getting used to, but it really is the best, safest place right now, until she's old enough to start training."

"Gonna start a new generation of hunters?" Koenma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Bite your tongue," Kimiko huffed. Then sighed. "That'll be up to her, and any future children. No, I'll be training her in self-defense and protections, because goodness knows she'll need them when she gets older. Because I doubt my own reputation will go away, and there's always going to be _someone_ who wants to try and fight me."

"Well, you were the last student of a demon's nightmare," Koenma said with a small smile. "But you're not a hermit the way she was."

"Nope... Not ready for cases for a while yet, but eventually, I'll get back out there. Demons need thumping, after all."

* * *

Demon world was just as dark and gloomy as she recalled; the air thick with the ever-present feel of a storm about to break as lightning darted through the clouds overhead. Kurama walked on one side, his arm wrapped around her shoulders to keep her and the baby protectively close; on the other was Koenma, Botan, and a blue-skinned ogre that Koenma had brought along after a _long_ argument named Jorge.

Kimiko rather liked Jorge, though she wondered if Koenma did. Given the occasional glare being tossed Jorge's way, she really wasn't sure.

The hotel they had been led to by a wizened old demon—Kurama had given him a sharp look at the meeting, though the old demon seemed unintimidated—was startlingly luxurious, and also quite packed with other demons who had rented rooms for the duration of the tournament. They hadn't really known what to expect, but a long elevator right to the upper floors was certainly not it.

The penthouse suite was more like an apartment than a hotel room, and Kimiko couldn't help but be impressed; a queen-sized bed in the two bedrooms, with velvet blankets and cotton sheets, one large TV a piece, a third in the 'living room' that sat across from plush couches which _also_ unfolded into beds, even a fully functional kitchen that held more than she expected in terms of normal human food.

"Who's the one who booked this?" Kimiko asked, looking around in moderate awe. "This is like one of the super VIP packages back home."

"Yomi," Kurama replied, his voice tight. "That demon was his adviser, Yoda. He seems... quite confident that he will win, if he is granting us this sort of consideration."

"Maybe he's trying to say no hard feeling?" Botan offered, looking up from the tournament schedule that had been left on the coffee table.

Kurama did not look convinced, and Koenma snorted a little himself. Botan only shrugged, and Kimiko did as well, knowing that there was little point in arguing about it.

"The opening ceremonies are in a couple of hours," Botan said after a minute. "Good. That gives us time to unpack and freshen up a little before we have to be ready to pack ourselves in with the crowd again."

"Sounds like a plan. Sh... Kurama, come help me set up Genkai's crib. I'm going to see if I can't get her to nap before we have to go anywhere."

* * *

To say he was on edge was something of an understatement; Kurama was _definitely_ waiting for the other shoe to drop, the price to all this luxury that Yomi had granted them. Did he expect Kurama to come fight at his side? It wasn't going to happen, but what would happen to them if they had no accommodations for the rest of the tournament?

Kimiko placed Genkai in his arms and pushed him down into a chair, breaking into his circling thoughts with enough force to leave him blinking at her in surprise.

"You're too tense," she said sternly. "Breathe. If there's some nefarious alternate plan that we don't know of yet, we'll find out shortly. Until then, stop fussing about what you can't control."

He sighed a little, and shifted to hold the baby more comfortably. He could maintain a facade of calm that would fool everyone but her. He still hadn't quite decided if this was a comfortable thing, even though there was no getting around that it _was_ a thing.

"Do you think we'll run into Yomi down there?" she asked, pulling out the travel crib they'd purchased.

"Perhaps," he said reluctantly. "Participants keep to the floor, though the crowd may mingle at times."

"Then we should get it over with sooner rather than later. Besides, I'm curious. I want to meet Mukuro too, and see Hiei, if he'll show up for longer than thirty seconds."

Despite his concerns, he had to smile.

"He still has not actually seen Genkai, and you wish to remedy that."

"Mmhm. I mean, I don't expect him to get all—get _in_ there you little—gooey eyed or anything, but still. He's the only one of our friends that hasn't met her yet. I don't even care if he's dismissive..."

Genkai burbled a little in his hold, and he shifted her gently, smoothing the rosy curls that pushed out from under her cap.

"He likely will be; it _is_ Hiei. But he will also be impressed, even if he will not admit to it. Do you need help?"

"I've almost... got it..."

From where he was sitting, she did _not_ , but he was willing to let her fight with it until Genkai started her 'I want food' cry. At which point he passed her back to Kimiko and took over the building of the travel crib.

* * *

"So, this is your human?" Yomi asked, his tone pleasant and polite.

The way he said it made it sound like Kimiko was some sort of pet, and she tried not to bristle at his casual condescension; she could accept it from friends because she knew them, and knew it wasn't meant to be taken personally. This guy? Meant it personally.

"This is my _wife_ ," Kurama said coolly.

"Ah, my apologies, I hadn't realized you'd gotten married," Yomi said smoothly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss...?"

"Kimiko," she said, doing her best to keep her own tone as calm as Kurama's. "I'd offer to shake your hand, but mine are full."

His eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise, and she wondered if he'd expected her to bite.

"So you really are only here to watch, then, Kurama?" he asked, shifting to face the fox demon.

"Yes. I have no desires here."

Yomi sighed a little, as if disappointed, then indicated the boy at his side.

"Shura, I believe you have something to say to Kurama..."

Shura looked down at the ground, and Kimiko could read rebelliousness in his posture. It was more amusing than anything else; he reminded her rather strongly of Yusuke.

"Shura..." Yomi's tone was warning.

"I'm sorry I attacked you on the way out of Gandara after you met with my father," Shura muttered, clearly not meaning a word of it. "It was rude and unsporting of me."

Kurama stared at the boy for several minutes until Kimiko elbowed him gently.

"It will be interesting to see you fight," he finally said.

"Hmph..." Shura then turned to Yomi, and gave him a fierce stare. "Remember Father, you promised to fight me for real if we come up against one another!"

"Yes, yes, I remember," and Yomi's smile and tone both shifted enough towards fatherly affection that Kimiko couldn't help but bump her estimation of him up a notch. As Shura moved off into the crowd, Yomi's face turned to follow for a few moments before his attention returned to Kurama and Kimiko. "Children grow up so fast."

"And are very much like their parents," Kurama replied.

Kimiko elbowed him again, a little more sharply this time, but Yomi only chuckled.

"I cannot disagree with that, and I take no insult from it. He will learn in time, as I did, and as your own child will. Congratulations on that as well, Kurama. I think I begin to understand what holds you in that world."

He bowed, and moved off as well, making Kimiko blink.

"You know, I think he meant it," she said thoughtfully.

"Yes... that would be what troubles me..."

She just leaned on him gently, and kept her smile strictly mental; yes, Yomi was powerful, and yes, he would undoubtedly be a dangerous opponent if it came to it... but right now, he did not mean them any harm.

"I can't decide who's the bigger fool; you for coming, or him for _allowing_ you to come."

Now Kimiko rolled her eyes, though she smiled tolerantly at Hiei as he moved through the crowd.

"Nice to see you again too," she replied. "I'm guessing you've been too busy training to come visit?"

"Hmph. I didn't need to go inside."

She blinked at him, surprised, then sighed as he smirked.

"Sometimes, I really wonder why I'm friends with you..."

"That is a sentiment I'm often forced to echo," came an oddly distorted voice from behind him. "He does take great pains to make himself... difficult."

Hiei stepped aside, allowing a demon covered in bandages and talisman to step forward; Kimiko didn't need Kurama going still beside her to tell her this was Mukuro. But as Mukuro had offered neither one of them threat, she was prepared to be more pleasant than she had with Yomi.

"Difficult is an understatement," she replied, shifting Genkai from one arm to the other; should have brought a carrier, but she wanted to keep the child close. "But I guess that's part of his annoying charm."

Hiei sniffed a little, and she slanted him a smirk. If he was going to be a brat, she was going to make fun of him. Mukuro seemed amused, and chuckled lightly.

"That is undoubtedly a correct statement. It's a pity neither one of you are fighting... you seem quite strong."

"Pass," Kimiko replied dryly. "We're just here to spectate, and see how well my brother's crazy idea works out."

"Yes..."

Mukuro reached up and pulled the bandages and talismans from her head, revealing a head of coppery hair, and delicately feminine features.

"I might like to meet this brother of yours at some point," she finished.

"That could be arranged, but you're probably in for disappointment," Kimiko replied wryly. "He only _thinks_ he's as cool as me~"

It got a chuckle from Mukuro.

"A pity. But I suppose even twins don't have the same skills. I hope you enjoy the fights."

* * *

"Have I mentioned that you have an uncanny sort of luck?" Koenma asked when they had found their seats. "Watching you talk to both Yomi _and_ Mukuro was enough to make my skin crawl."

"Yomi wanted to bait me or Kurama into a fight," and Kimiko shrugged a little, gently bouncing Genkai in her arms. "I wouldn't mind throwing down with him in a friendly match, but he's still got some distance on me in terms of power. Mukuro, I think, was just curious. Also, she was definitely looking for an excuse for that dramatic reveal."

"Still, you spoke with two of the most dangerous demons here right now, and walked away. For a human, that's a feat," Botan said.

Kimiko made a noncommittal sound, and split her attention between the lottery taking place below, and the baby in her arms. She was not so unaware of her surroundings though, that she missed the power settling in behind them.

"Kimiko..."

She glanced sideways at Koenma, who looked pale, and wondered yet again how someone with no clear energy could run Spirit World _and_ a demon hunter group as well as he did.

"Breathe easy, Enma's son," came the voice from behind them. "Enki requested that you have power at your back in case of... unforeseen events. We are only here for that reason. We have no interest in you."

Kimiko smiled a little, and relaxed just in time to see Shura put into Yomi's block for the elimination rounds.

"...oooo,,, kiddo's about to have a bad day," she said with a faint smile. "He thinks he's a mini-powerhouse, but his dad is going to kick his ass."

* * *

The elimination rounds went by surprisingly fast; a sound dampening field allowed Genkai to nap through most of them while the crowd roared for favorites. Kimiko shook her head a little in disgust at Chu's reaction to the woman Natsume, but had to admit that it was pretty classic for him. Shishi's near death had made her grip Kurama's hand tightly, only to breathe a relieved sigh when he used his imp form to his advantage.

"Chu, perhaps, did not take his training as serious as we thought," Kurama murmured.

"Maybe, but he's pretty good at threat assessment; she's stronger than he is, so it's better for him to bow out instead of die for his pride," she replied. "Not that we can let him live it down, of course."

"Of course," Kurama agreed with a faint smile.

Yomi's fight with Shura was brutal, and she winced to watch the boy get thrown around like that. True, it was a good lesson to learn, but still...

"Ouch," Botan said with a wince.

"Survival of the fittest definitely doesn't lead to many attachments," Koenma replied, shaking his head a little. "He's not trying to kill his own son, is he?"

"No, Yomi is merely teaching Shura a lesson he learned much later in life," Kurama replied, arms crossed over his chest. "Hopefully it will be one that sticks, and the boy will give him a different sort of growing pain."

Kimiko couldn't help but giggle.

* * *

Day two of the tournament saw the rest of their friends out of the running, losing to allies of Raizen as the preliminaries whittled the numbers down still further. From the over two thousand that had entered, one hundred twenty-eight had moved to the official preliminaries, and split across the four blocks as they were, it was hard to keep track of who needed to be watched the most.

But it wasn't surprising to see everyone get knocked out eventually; they were good, they were strong, but their opponents were just that little bit better. Toya's opponent _allowing_ his energy to be drained, to fight on an even field, was surprising; Toya plainly found it insulting.

Jin's fight was the one that had Kimiko popping from her seat to go and make sure he wasn't too badly injured; Kurama carried Genkai and followed her close until they found the room where the unconscious wind master had been laid. His opponent, Souketstu, was lounging against the wall, and seemed surprised to see them.

"You're the human Enki spoke to," he said as she moved to Jin's bed.

"Mmhm."

"...sorry about your friend."

"It's okay. You didn't kill him, so I don't need to hurt you~"

She heard Kurama sigh slightly, but Souketsu only seemed amused, nodding slightly to them as he left the room. Kimiko reached out and touched Jin's head gently, lavender light dancing over her fingertips; while the demon healers had already done a good job of patching him up, she found the faint, remaining fractures that could have caused later problems and smoothed them out, easing what little pain remained.

As she sat back, Jin groaned a little, and blinked his eyes open.

"I don't s'pose anyone got th number of the plane that ran me over?" he asked plaintively, once he caught sight of Kimiko.

"You already know his name, I don't think we need the flight number," she said dryly. "It was a good fight. You just need more training~"

Jin groaned again, and his head sank a little more into the pillow.

"I'm doomed."

She laughed.

"You and everyone else, sure. You're just the only one so injured that I wanted to make sure you weren't going to accidentally die on me. You don't have Chu's hard head, after all."

"Biggie got all that from his drinkin," Jin grumbled a little, though he did sit up after a minute. "Well, that's it then for us?"

"Mmhm. I'm staying until the last match is called though. It ought to be interesting."

* * *

Day three saw fights far more intense than even Kurama had ever seen; Hiei against Mukuro—Hiei lost but it was a hard fight, and they both seemed to gain something from it—followed by Mukuro against Yomi. That one became a mutual knock-out, much to the relief of their small group, and proved the reasons why Yomi and Mukuro had never actually _tried_ to fight one another before.

At the end of the day, much to the amusement of Kimiko, Enki had plowed his way to the top. After a cheerful acceptance speech in which he mandated no trouble in Human World, and said they would come together in five years to do it again, it felt almost... anti-climactic.

"Yusuke's idea worked out way better than I thought it would," Kimiko said as they headed towards the hotel for one last night in demon world luxury. "I'll have to let him know when we get him his copy of the fight proceedings."

"Enki's nature might well help quell the riot in Spirit World too," Koenma said thoughtfully, finally properly relaxed after four days of watching tense fights. "A proper treaty would go a long way towards shutting that lot up. I hate saying it, but I've actually missed that stupid office I used to inhabit."

"You say this _now_ " Botan said with a grin, "but I'm quite sure several centuries of backed up paperwork to stamp would make you change your mind."

Koenma shuddered a little, and gave her a sour look; Botan only giggled.

* * *

It was good to be back in human world, where the air was crisp and clear, and the weather actually _changed_ from day to day. Shuuichi could hear the faint creak of the rocking chair and Kimiko humming as she worked to soothe Genkai to sleep, both welcome sounds that he had not expected to find quite so comforting.

"You're hovering," Kimiko said softly, not looking up from the drowsing baby girl. "Everything okay?"

"Yes," and he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Just...enjoying the moment."

She smiled fondly up at him, and kissed him lightly in reply.


	33. Epilogue

Epilogue

 _Ten years later_

"Mom! Tori's not giving me back my book!"

"She started it! I want my crayons back!"

"You gimme that book, Tori! I need it!"

"You gimme my crayons first!"

Kimiko sighed and shook her head, glancing over at her husband who was pretending to not hear the argument.

"You get to bathe the twins tonight if I have to settle this on my own," she warned him.

Shuuichi glanced up from his paperwork, and offered an amused smile.

"That does not sound so terrible an ordeal," he responded.

"Today is _paint_ day. Do you really think they won't paint themselves when Yukina's not looking?"

That seemed to give him pause, and after a moment he stood up.

"Well then, shall we see what the children are up to?"

She laughed at him softly, and they headed into the hallway to find Tori halfway up the wall, holding one of Genkai's schoolbooks over his head. Shuuichi sighed and plucked their lone son from his perch as Kimiko relieved their oldest daughter of the box of crayons she had been threatening him with.

"Really, you two, one would think you were a pair of monkeys," she scolded mildly. "I thought you were playing with Jin?"

Tori immediately got a sweet smile on his face that had both adult sharing looks of resignation. None of their children had quite managed to master the facade of calm that they admired in their father...

"Tori tied him up," Genkai confirmed with a giggle, taking her schoolbook from Shuuichi. "Uncle Jin said it was okay!"

"Uncle Jin clearly didn't realize that Tori's powers are still a bit too strong for him to control," Shuuichi sighed, putting said son down as well. "How long ago was this, Tori?"

"Umm..." The seven-year-old frowned a little, green eyes glittering with memory as he thought. "'Bout an hour?"

"All yours dear," Kimiko grinned.

Shuuichi sighed again, and shook his head, then took Tori's hand.

"Come on, let's go let Uncle Jin out of the vines."

"Okay!"

"Maybe a lesson on energy control too?" Kimiko suggested, trying not to laugh.

"Yes, and that."

Resigned, perhaps, but also amused; Kimiko watched with pleasure and pride as Shuuichi swept his son up and playfully carried him down the hall before turning a look on her daughter... who seemed entirely unrepentant, albeit a little nervous.

"You know you're supposed to let one of us know when you're practicing with your powers," Kimiko scolded gently. "You could hurt someone."

"Uncle Jin said it was okay, though!" Genkai protested.

"Uncle Jin has clearly been hanging around Chu too much," she replied dryly. "You know the rules, Gen."

Genkai drooped a little.

"...But it was really funny."

"I'll just bet," and she leaned down to gently tweak her daughter's nose. "But the rules are there for reasons. Just because Jin can take it doesn't mean you should do it until you're sure of your control. If Tori's vines wrapped around some of your school friends, that would be bad. They could get hurt, and we could all get in trouble. Okay?"

Genkai sighed a little, then nodded.

"Good girl. Go put your stuff away; the twins will be home soon."

"Okay. What's for supper?"

"You'd have to ask your father, dear. _After_ he's done instructing your brother. Now hurry up, you need to get in some practice of your own."

The ten-year-old bounced down the hall, and Kimiko watched her go with a half-smile, shaking her head slightly. All four children had all the energy of puppies, and sometimes the brains as well...

Genkai's energy abilities had manifested early, and much like Kimiko's own, had shifted her eye color from soft brown to a deep purple. Energy control had predated combat, since no one had wanted little green energy balls scorching the walls or floors, or her then-two-years-old brother. She was the only redhead of the children at that. She seemed to enjoy looking quite a bit like her father, though her attitude was much more like her Uncle Yusuke...

Tori was the only boy of the family; he had inherited Shuuichi's gift for plants, which he was still working on getting the hang of. It often led to people getting tied up, as he seemed to have an affinity for vine-type plants. He was a _little_ calmer, and idolized his older sister, having been trailing her as soon as he was able to crawl... not that it stopped them from fighting.

The twins, Hikari and Natsumi had been something of a surprise; Kimiko had planned on one more child, not two, and these two certainly kept them all hopping. They hadn't developed powers yet, but both Shuuichi and Kimiko knew it was only a matter of time, and were hoping for a somewhat less dramatic reveal than Tori had given them.

An oddity in genetics—something Kimiko thought was born from Kurama more than Shuuichi—had led to all children carrying a streak of silver in their hair; it stood out much more in the black hair of the younger three than in Genkai's fiery red,and had necessitated in various other adults being assured that yes, it _was_ natural, and no, they were _not_ dyeing their children's hair. They had the same argument over Hikari's yellow eyes, and Kimiko had privately wondered why people seemed to think she would put color contacts in her child's eyes.

As always she shrugged a little and dismissed it, turning instead to go to the second practice hall where she would meet her daughter and run her through both energy exercises and kata.

"Never a dull moment, hm?" Toya said a little wryly as he met her in the hall.

"Nope. Your boy's tied up in my main practice hall again, by the way. Mind telling him to stop encouraging my son to push himself?"

Toya sighed a little.

"I doubt Jin would listen..."

"Well, try, because if he does it again, I'm going to chuck him in the ocean."

"Just so he can come back and get you all wet?"

"Toya..."

Toya grinned a little, holding his hands up.

"I'll tell him."

"Good."

* * *

Shuuichi silently stepped in and helped Kimiko straighten out blankets as the children had finally succumbed to sleep, tucking in a toy more firmly here, and smoothing hair out of the face there. She smiled warmly at him, and he smiled back, though he waited to give _her_ a kiss until the door was closed behind them.

"Everything's ready?" she asked, leaning against him comfortably.

"Yes. Koenma says it shouldn't take too long; Jin and Toya are ready to get moving so that we can get this done quickly."

She nodded, and he saw a familiar light flickering in her eyes; she was ready to fight the idiot who'd thought calling her out was a good idea. She glanced slightly to the side and smiled.

"Hiei's here too, I see."

"He claims it's because he doesn't actually trust Shishiwakamaru to know which end of the sword to hold," Shuuichi chuckled a little. "I believe he just wanted a chance to see his nephew."

"Sounds like Hiei," she agreed.

Yukina had agreed to come up and watch the children while they were away; with her came Kazuma and their four-year-old son Hien. Hiei still refused to admit that he was flattered by the namesake, but whenever Yukina came to the compound, it didn't take him very long to turn up too.

"Is he _ever_ going to admit they're related?" she asked as they headed towards the front of the temple.

"When he's ready, perhaps..."

"So, no."

Shuuichi laughed and lightly kissed her temple.

"Some day. But not this one."

She just snorted in derisive amusement, and they stepped out into the moonlight, to begin a new step on their journey.


End file.
